UK & Ireland

A planning application for the construction of purpose built student accommodation in Waterford City has been lodged with the local authority. Noel Frisby Construction Ltd. has submitted the application to Waterford Council which consists of 582 student bed spaces in 85 apartments across four blocks at a site near SETU at Kilbarry on the Cork Road.

Approval was given late last year to convert the abandoned Old Christchurch Road building into 129 premium en-suite student bedrooms. Property development firm Carve Developments has said it hopes to get the accommodation up and running by the next academic year in September 2024.

Property developer Downing has acquired the former Scottish headquarters of Reach PLC in a multimillion-pound deal. The acquisition builds on Downing recent acquisitions in Brighton, London, Bristol and Newcastle and allows for significant future expansion of the Downing portfolio.

Torsion Group to commence construction activities on highly anticipated 183 studio bed student accommodation development on Burley Street, Leeds.

Proposals to add 340 rooms at the Hathersage Road student complex in Manchester are in the works.  Empiric Student Property, which acquired Victoria Point site from MCR Property Group for just shy of £30m in 2016, has assembled a project team to work up plans for the scheme.

Dublin City Council has refused planning permission for a 941-bed-space student accommodation scheme on the Naas Road. The application from developer Malclose Ltd comprised a part 15-storey block and a part 11-storey block, to deliver 871 standard rooms, 47 accessible studio rooms and 23 studios.

abrdn has invested £110m on behalf of Phoenix and £13m on behalf of ILID, its Index-Linked Infrastructure Debt Fund, in West Slope Residencies Finance Limited - a partnership between the University of Sussex and Balfour Beatty Investments.

Plans have been approved for a 31-storey student accommodation and build-to-rent development at Queen’s Hospital Close in Birmingham. The redevelopment and refurbishment of Queen’s Hospital listed buildings, alongside new building works, will bring forward 759 student bed spaces and 189 apartments for private rent.

Dominus and Cheyne Capital have completed two senior loans totalling around £400m to provide development finance for two of Dominus’ PBSA developments in the City of London.

Assetz Capital, the Manchester-based specialist lender, has launched a £100m Planning Assistance Loan product, aimed at supporting the conversion of commercial buildings into residential dwellings.