The number of German university cities with a tight student housing market rose to 39 from 32 this year, with Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg leading the ranking, says German property developer GBI …
Developer Hallminster has said it will lodge an appeal after Sheffield City Council rejected its plans for a £35m residential and commercial scheme for Ecclesall Road.
The company’s application was narrowly turned down after an intense debate. The application was rejected by seven votes to five and Hallminster said it received support from councillors of all parties.
Dan Simpson, of Hallminster, said: We are extremely disappointed that planning permission was refused this afternoon for a scheme that council officers accept will have regeneration benefits for part of Ecclesall Road.
We believe the design of the development is top quality and appropriate for the location. It was described as imaginative and in keeping with its surroundings during the public consultation process.
The planning committee’s decision has left us with no option but to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in an attempt to ensure Sheffield does not miss out on a £35m project.
We want to invest in Sheffield, but we fear we are being forced to turn to cities such as Manchester and Leeds, which are more receptive to developers.””
Darren Southgate, of Sheffield-based Bond Bryan Architects, said: “”This is the first time a development we have designed – and we work in cities such as London, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield – has been taken to appeal. Our quality is so high that designs have been welcomed by authorities across the country.””
The Ecclesall Road project includes about 120 apartments for single people, couples and families, and 44 high quality student apartments, along with ground floor shops and other commercial outlets.
The location is a former car dealership site between Summerfield Street and Pear Street, near the old Wards Brewery …
Dutch pension fund manager APG has invested €100m in Netherlands-based The Student Hotel, taking the group to €250m of equity to target €600m investments in a diverse European portfolio in the next 3-5 years …
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Proposals to create nearly 200 extra rooms on an Aberdeen student campus have been tabled.
The University of Aberdeen has lodged plans with Aberdeen City Council to create 40 flats on its Hillhead campus, which would provide 195 rooms for students.
If approved, the proposed new block would be on the Don Street side of the campus.
The proposed student accommodation would be five storeys high and would be created on Hillhead’s current car park situated on the north of the complex.
A University of Aberdeen spokeswoman said: “We have a long term strategy for ensuring that we provide a range of accommodation for our students.
This application for a development of flats would be an addition to our portfolio of accommodation at the Hillhead Student Village.
This is a 195-bed development comprising of self-catered flats with en-suite facilities …
A derelict former hotel in Cardiff city centre could be pulled down and replaced with student accommodation if plans submitted to the city council are approved.
And the adjacent grade II-listed Custom House, sandwiched between the lower end of St Mary Street, Custom House Street and the railway line, would also be a part of the same development.
Under the plans, Custom House’s facades would be included in the new development, while the former York Hotel would be completely demolished for a new building on site.
The proposal also indicates that, should they be given the green light, the plans would help in the battle against graffiti on the building, formerly used as accommodation for homeless people ..
More than 200 student flats are to be built in a town centre, despite objections from families.
Plans to construct two accommodation blocks in Stoke have been given the go-ahead. The buildings will be located next to London House, in London Road, which is currently being converted to provide a 76-bedroom student accommodation complex.
The two new blocks will be a continuation of the same development by Dencourt Ltd.
Vicky Wootten, planning officer for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “”Objections have been received from local residents.
Neighbours have raised concerns regarding parking at the facility. We are of the view that this location, with its good transport links, encourages sustainable travel.
The first block to be constructed will be behind London House.
The five-storey building will provide communal facilities on the ground floor including a reception, lounge, recreation room, laundry, toilets, post-room and manager’s office.
It will contain 122 student ‘bedsits’, with 18 on the ground floor and 26 units on every other level.
The second, six-storey building will join on to London House and contain 80 flats. It will have the same communal facilities on the ground floor, along with a retail unit …
A city centre building could be demolished to make way for a 17-storey student housing development which would be visible for miles around.
Plans have been submitted to knock down Mayflower House, on the corner of Mayflower Street and Armada Way, and replace it with 14 floors of student accommodation, along with retail space on the lower floors.
The striking new building would feature a ‘sky lounge’ with panoramic views across the city, and would be visible from the Hoe and Mount Batten.
It would sit alongside Beckley Court, a 22-storey skyscraper which will be Plymouth’s tallest building when it is complete, in a block known as the northern triangle …
Student accommodation provider UNITE Group has acquired two development sites in the centre of Bristol with potential for about 900 student beds.
Total development costs, including the cost of the land, will be about £85m. The sites are subject to necessary approvals, including planning consents.
The Bristol-headquartered company expects them to provide returns in line with its target for regional development and to be delivered in 2019.
UNITE said the sites were well located to house students from both of the Universities in the city and would enable it to further strengthen relationships with two long term partners.
Richard Simpson, managing director of property for Unite Students, said: “We are delighted to have acquired two high quality sites in Bristol. We look forward to developing these sites and adding more high quality student accommodation to our existing estate in a strategically important city.
The UNITE Group currently houses 45,000 students in 132 purpose built properties across 28 locations …
Construction work on student residences in Fort William and Inverness will begin in the next week following a £44 million agreement between University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and developer Cityheart.
The deal will see the student residences specialist build and operate accommodation across the Highlands and Islands.
Work is due to start in the next week on a 40 bed residence in Fort William near West Highland College UHI and a 150 bed facility near Inverness College UHI on the new Inverness Campus. Both projects, valued at £10m in total, are due to be completed in time for new students arriving in September 2016.
A second phase, valued at £34m, will see Cityheart seeking additional suitable development sites throughout the university’s area with a view to providing a further 470 student beds by September 2017.
“This is fantastic news for our current and future students across the Highlands and Islands area,” said principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Clive Mulholland.
Cityheart has a great track record of developing and managing student residences across the UK and we are pleased to have them working with us on the first of a number of projects across our region …
Bruntwood and residential development partner, Select Property Group, have set out the masterplan and phasing programme for the 2.5m sq ft redevelopment of the former BBC site in Manchester city centre, following acquisition by Bruntwood from Realty in April.
Oxford Road VitaThe first phase will feature two serviced apartment buildings under Select’s Vita brand, containing 220 and 496 studios respectively. One building will be 12 storeys tall and the other building will be split into two blocks, of 13 and 17 storeys. The Vita buildings will be designed to attract mature, postgraduate and international students. This will be closely followed by a second phase containing 350,000 sq ft of commercial space.
Chris Oglesby, chief executive of Bruntwood, said: “We’ve produced a masterplan that embraces and exceeds the ambitions of the City’s Strategic Regeneration Framework to create a vibrant new neighbourhood including fantastic new office, residential, retail and leisure uses, alongside exceptional new public spaces and routes through the site.
Its unique location, connecting the city centre with the Corridor Manchester, enables the site to support the cross-fertilisation and commercialisation of ideas and a public green will provide Manchester with a new open space for people to gather and dwell.
The first planning application was submitted on Monday and consent is expected is in December. Construction is due to start in the first quarter of 2016 and complete in late 2017. The project team includes architect 5Plus, joint masterplanners Planit-IE and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, structural engineer Curtins, engineer Cundalls and cost consultant Appleyard & Trew …
“We retained TigerLime in 2018 to advise on the Management of our Mark Royal House project in Belfast. Sean demonstrated an unrivalled knowledge of the local market and set our expectations accurately.”
Michael Lister (Non-Exec Director) Progressive property Investments
