A scheme to build over 100 student flats in Coventry will be decided on by councillors this week after receiving opposition from people and community groups in the city. People writing to the city council say the building is too tall and "oppressive" - and local groups fear it could create a "canyon effect" near the River Sherbourne.

But Coventry council officers say the scheme should go ahead as the building is "well-proportioned" and will not negatively impact neighbours or the riverside. Plans for the 130-bed student block on the Mills Forgings site were sent to the council earlier this year after a previous scheme was rejected for being "too intensive" last year.

The project has been met with 11 letters of objection, with Historic Coventry and the Coventry Society also unhappy with the proposals. Those writing in say they want the building to be limited to four storeys high, not six at its highest point as planned, according to a report for the meeting next week.

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Their objections include claims the "building is oppressive/an intensive overdevelopment" that will harm neighbouring houses and the river view. Other concerns include anti-social behaviour, road safety, the design and the loss of the Mills Forgings business.

Historic Coventry believe it is too tall and too close to the river - and want the block moved back and limited to four storeys in height, the report adds. This will affect ecology, put the river/bank in shade and create "a canyon effect that is not attractive for the proposed riverside walk," they say.

The Coventry Society are also against the application, describing the six-storey part as "intrusive" and "an overdevelopment." "It will confine the River Sherbourne into a development canyon," a summary of their response read.

They also claim the plans will "do nothing to improve the character of the river" or its amenity value to Coventry residents, as they say it will stop future public access to this part. But Coventry council planning officers say the scheme should go ahead.

Their report notes "significant changes" were made to its previous design, as it now has more outdoor and indoor space for residents and is further from neighbours. This means it won't have any significant impact on nearby homes, they say.

Officers also do not take issue with the buildings' height or closeness to the river, according to the senior officer's report. "It is considered that the six-storey element is well-proportioned and will positively address the River Sherbourne on the site’s western boundary," it says.

The block's stepping up from four to six storeys was also said to be "desirable" as it will create a "distinctive and recognisable" architectural style in this area. There is also a benefit to the "additional activity and natural surveillance" it will have on this area opposite a planned walkway on the other site of the bank, the report said.

And plans to improve the bank through wildlife-friendly planting and landscaping will make public access "undesirable from a biodiversity point of view." Finally, the report said there is a "strong case" for redeveloping the business site as housing as it is more compatible with the surrounding area.

The company that Mills Forgings is part of, Kimber Mills International, are currently moving their UK operations to Sandwell. If the scheme goes ahead, developers will have to pay over £100,000 towards local health services and £40,000 for a new zebra crossing on Gulson Road.

The decision will come at a meeting of the council's Planning Committee in the council house next Thursday (5 October) from 2pm.