A Chester city centre student housing block has shut its doors.

Fontessa House, developed by City Heart Ltd and opened in September 2016 following a £9.4 million investment on Upper Northgate Street, near the Fountains Roundabout, now has no access and a boarded up entrance.

The 117-unit building offered students studios and cluster en-suites, described by former building manager CRM Students as "spacious and comfortable with plenty of room to relax and study", including a communal area, on-site bike storage and laundry facilities, plus free Wi-Fi and broadband.

It was also highlighted that the accommodation block was a seven-minute walk away from the University of Chester's Parkgate Road campus.

Fontessa House is boarded up in Chester.

Fontessa House is boarded up in Chester.

Rent prices for the 2023/24 academic year ranged between £130 and £254 a week.

A spokesperson for CRM Students confirmed: "At this time, we no longer manage Fontessa House in Chester.”

A spokesperson for the University of Chester said: “CRM Students is no longer providing student accommodation at Fontessa House by the Fountains Roundabout.

"The university is not aware of any other student housing provider that may be interested in taking on the building.

"The university’s own accommodation at Sumner House is not affected by this.”

Sumner House is home to students at the building which overlooks the Fountains Roundabout, which was initially a Travelodge until the university took on the building in 2012.

Figures show the University of Chester has a total of 14,325 students, of which 11,180 are full-time students. In terms of purpose-built student accommodation, there are around 3,000 beds in the city.

The 128-bed Abbeygate student accommodation building, currently run by Fresh, is available to buy on nearby Victoria Road, with offers sought in excess of £6.5 million.