Developers have tabled changes to approved plans for transforming a city centre site, once home to a huge cannabis farm.

Applicant Big Sur secured planning permission from Southampton City Council for a large student housing scheme in May.

The plans for more than 250 student bedrooms involve the demolition of empty three-storey and four-storey buildings on High Street, and a former snooker hall on Castle Way.

The site was raided by police three years ago, with almost £4million worth of cannabis plants discovered.

Now Big Sur has submitted an application to the council to make changes to the scheme, which the developer said form a “non-material amendment”.

Internal layout changes, alterations to the height and footprint of the smaller satellite building, and revisions to the mix of units provided within the Castle Way block of the scheme are proposed.

The development is being led and managed by Stelling Properties.

A letter submitted by the applicant’s agent Turley said: “Following the grant of planning permission in May 2024, Stelling have progressed to detailed design review ahead of commencing construction.

“Through this process, it has been identified minor amendments to the approved scheme are required in order to secure compliance with technical requirements and, in particular, fire safety, general modular rationalisation, room quality and current market trends.”

The letter said the “core principles” of the scheme have remained unaltered, including facade articulation and materials, and the overall number of units.

The project involves the construction of a five-to-six-storey building containing 249-bed spaces, which spans the site with frontages in High Street and Castle Way, and a three-storey building containing eight-bed spaces in the north-east corner of the site.

A design and access statement prepared by Stelling said: “We believe that the amendments proposed are consistent with the consented scheme.

“The scheme presented is thought to be the best balance between the operator’s requirements, design quality, the urban context, and the policy requirements.”

The amendment application is currently being assessed by council planners.

Police found 1,782 cannabis plants inside the disused commercial buildings at 57-59 Castle Way and 119-122 High Street in 2021.

The value of both factories was estimated at £3.8million from the plants found and a previous crop, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.