A LANDMARK hotel in Burnley is to be turned into student accommodation for those taking degrees at the town’s football university.

The UCFB College of Football Business intends to transform Burnley’s Keirby Hotel into en-suite living quarters for 45 students, along with other leisure facilities for undergraduates. The higher education institution, based at Turf Moor, will begin work on renovating the town centre block in September.

The new halls of residence will be called The Crown and will also include a gym, games room, quiet study area. The former hotel and banqueting suite will also be the home of UCFB’s student union.

Philip Wilson, provost and chief executive of UCFB, said: “From our inception, we knew that UCFB was going to be part of Burnley’s long-term future. It was important to us to invest in the town’s existing stock and refurbish some of Burnley’s well-known build-ings that are no longer in use.

“The Keirby was the perfect candidate for this, it has needed a new owner and a new look for some time, and it’s the ideal location for our undergraduates in terms of proximity to the town centre and campus.”

Mr Wilson added that estimates predicted the students would provide a significant boost to the local retail and leisure economies over the next five years, contributing around £7M to the local economy per year. UCFB opened in 2011 and offers BA (Hons) degrees in football business and finance, football business and media and football business and marketing.