A developer plans to construct several eight-storey apartment blocks for students at Darwin’s Frog Hollow park that it says will meet student accommodation demand with a government-estimated 10,000 international students expected to come over the next few years.

The proposal for the multi-million development which is yet to be lodged with planning authorities was drafted for Sentinel Property Group (SPG) by Queensland-based CA Architects.

If approved, the proposal would see the construction of five eight-storey apartment blocks for students, and four four-storey apartments for use by either NDIS, Defence, or for social housing.

“The Territory will need student accommodation in coming years and this proposal goes some way towards meeting that demand. At the moment there are only 300 dedicated students’ beds in the Territory outside of what is on campus at the university,” Sentinel chief executive Warren Ebert said.

Charles Darwin University, which is building their CBD campus near Frog Hollow said the university campus will be operational at the end of this year, and that additional student accommodation will be needed to meet the demand.

“International students spend around $4,000 monthly. This could bring substantial economic benefit to the Territory if the 10,000-student target is met,” Mr Ebert said.

CDU vice-chancellor Scott Bowman previously said the university supports the Frog Hollow residential development plan.

“We’re fairly confident the university can provide between 6000 and 8000 of those students. We’ve got a lot of skin in the game,” he told the NT News. “We’ve put over $150 million of our own money into building that city campus, which is going to be like a magnet for international students.

“If we want those 10,000 students we’ve got to work together and you can’t put all the weight on the university because we’re already doing some heavy lifting in this space. There is a wonderful bit of land behind the campus at Frog Hollow that would be perfect for student accommodation.”

A workers’ camp and the Darwin Primary School previously occupied the Frog Hollow site before being declared a heritage place in 1996. Darwin Primary School was also previously converted into an arts precinct.

In 2020, part of Frog Hollow was utilised for the construction of Garramilla Boulevard despite community protests.