UK & Ireland

London investors Patron Capital Advisers LLP and Curation Capital have acquired Alma Place, a 393-unit student accommodation scheme near Belfast city centre, following its receivership in late 2024.

MCR Property Group has acquired Parham Student Village in Canterbury, adding 606 student bedrooms across nine blocks to its PBSA portfolio, positioning the company as one of the city’s largest student accommodation providers through a single scheme.

Central London student accommodation provider urbanest has appointed Gavin de Klerk as the company’s new head of development.

Unite Group completed the acquisition of Empiric Student Property on 28 January, adding the Hello Student brand and all Empiric assets to its portfolio.

Bowmer + Kirkland has been appointed main contractor for the £274 million Castle Leazes student accommodation redevelopment in Newcastle, replacing a 1,250-bed 1960s complex with 2,009 modern, sustainable rooms for Unite Students and Newcastle University.

The University of Kent has cancelled its £51 million plan to build a 1,000-bed student accommodation block and sports centre on its Canterbury campus, citing changing student needs, affordability concerns, and rising construction costs since planning permission was granted in 2023.

The new six-storey student accommodation will provide a total of 172 bedrooms comprising of 155 bed spaces shared across 22 cluster flats with each flat containing shared kitchen and lounge facilities.

Newham Council has approved RAD CHP Ltd’s proposal to develop 628 student bed spaces at Royal Albert Way, including ancillary facilities and Class E floorspace at ground level, enhancing the site’s mixed-use capacity.

The facility was agreed for an experienced property investor and developer operating in the student accommodation sector. The borrower had acquired a former office building in Aberdeen city centre and secured planning consent to convert the property into 52 self-contained student studios.

On the surface, 2025 was a record-breaking year for the UK Higher Education sector. Home Office data for the full calendar year shows that...