Student accommodation group Unite has acquired a site in Liverpool to expand its presence in the city.
The group already owns 10 halls of residence, providing almost 3,400 bed spaces, and today announced an £80m joint investment in two new sites in Liverpool and Aberdeen.
It says together, both sites will create 1,250 new bed spaces when they open in time for the 2017/18 academic year …
Student accommodation developer Unite Group is investing £80million in newly acquired sites in Aberdeen and Liverpool.
The company’s Unite Students business aims to have them open in time for the scheduled to be open in time for the 2017/18 academic year.
Together the new projects will add about 1,250 beds to Unite Students’ UK-wide portfolio …
A decision on a “masterplan” put forward by Royal Holloway University for development of its Surrey campus up to 2031 has been deferred.
Under the plans, the university in Egham would demolish buildings, build new ones and create an extra 2,650 student accommodation places.
Royal Holloway needs to grow student numbers to ensure long-term financial viability, planning papers said …
Plans to build more than 150 homes on a derelict former industrial site in Leicester are set to be approved next week.
Developers Goldcharm Ltd want to construct a mixture of 130 apartments and 35 town houses on a two acre plot off Bath Lane next to the Grand Union canal.
Members of Leicester City Council’s planning committee are to discuss the scheme, which also involves a small amount of shop space, when they meet on Wednesday …
A Downing-backed plan for two student accommodation developments totalling 920 beds in the Islington district of Liverpool has been approved by the city’s planning authorities.
The Islington Regeneration Company, in which property group Downing is development partner and has a 50% stake alongside directors from pension company AJ Bell, will develop a £25m scheme at Devon Street, and a £35m project at Gildart Street.
The architect Falconer Chester Hall has released a montage image of the two schemes to coincide with planning approval …
With large investors now piling into the student accommodation market, is this a good time for a private investor to part with their cash?
Investors are increasingly attracted to the rate of student property yields – some developers are offering a 7% yield which is guaranteed for five years – which is much higher than the average buy-to-let yield on a private property.
Indeed, universities are increasingly making agreements with property developers to build student accommodation that have levels of luxury that were barely heard of years ago …
A U.K. startup founded back in 2012 which runs an online booking platform focused on student accommodation, has pulled in £2.2 million ($3.5 million) in Series A funding. The round was led by prior investor Octopus Investments, which put £700,000 into Uniplaces last November.
Other investors in the Series A include Alex Chesterman (founder of Zoopla and LoveFiLM), Portuguese angel fund Shilling Capital Partners, and Rob McClatchey (former Chairman of University Partnerships Program Ltd and Managing Director of Barclays Capital). McClatchey also joins the Uniplaces board as a non-executive director.
Uniplaces has raised £3.2 million in total funding thus far …
A paint shop and a Plymouth College of Art building could be demolished to make way for student flats standing up to nine storeys high.
Plans to build rooms for 185 students have been submitted to the council as part of a development that would see the Dulux Decorator Centre in Greenbank bulldozed.
Developers want to build a quadrangle block, part of which would be opposite the Grade II-listed former Sutton High School building, ranging from three storeys at its lowest point to nine at its highest …
The opening of new student new halls of residence in Southampton has been delayed for a year, following a hold-up in building work.
The 15-storey City Gateway was being built by Bouygues Development to provide about 350 flats for University of Southampton students.
The university said it was not ready in time to allocate students …
The four-storey buildings are close to the city centre, in Murano Place and Shrubhill, and will together provide accommodation for 532 students. They are scheduled for completion in 2015.
Ogilvie Construction managing director Donald MacDonald said: “Our team has built up significant expertise in the student accommodation sector and these buildings will be completed to the highest modern construction standards.”
Jim Pike of Ziggurat Student Living, said: “The redevelopment of these two long derelict sites will be a perfect addition to our existing student property in Edinburgh at Wellgate House on the Cowgate. We have been working closely with Ogilvie for almost a year on the detailed design and the fine tuning of the construction prices for these two developments, and are very pleased to finally be on site following the site purchases in June” …
“We instructed TigerLime to undertake a strategic review of our student accommodation and they produced a first rate and comprehensive operational analysis. I would not hesitate recommending them.”
Paul Hillier (Portfolio Manager) BP Investment Management
