That explains a lot about your posts ;-)
City centres need businesses to be located there and functioning for a thriving city, the people spend money every day and retail/leisure survive successfully off them. Ideally, some reasonable non student residential as well as student resi can then help fill the other void spend times for those retail/leisure outlets.
It’s basic economics and place making but something this council has not understood for 30 years. I thought when they attracted ST that they had but stopped before no others coming.
The economics to the Council are "we can get twice the rent for a food outlet than we can for retail"
CCC have gone on for years about a John Lewis coming to Coventry and driving retail - why should JLP bother when for a rail ticket, that costs less than parking, can take a shopper in to the heart of Birmingham