UK & Ireland

Plans to convert an office building in Bath into student accommodation have been backed. Bath and North East Somerset Council's planning committee agreed to 'delegate to permit' an application by Eagle One Estates. The decision was in line with an officer's report recommendation.

Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) third-party manager Fresh has successfully taken over the management of the Alma Place development in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The scheme comprises 393-units in a mix of en-suite and studio apartments.

Plans have been submitted to build a 33-storey student accommodation block in Manchester’s City Centre. The block would have 861 rooms and would be built on the corner of Hulme Street and Medlock Street, a short commute away from both the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Magdalen College has put forward plans to demolish the Waynflete Building in St Clement's and rebuild new facilities in its place, including 76 student bedrooms. The scheme will involve the demolition of the Waynflete Building and the existing extensions at the back of 9-13 St Clement's.

Private developers signed a record 22 land deals for purpose-built student accommodation in 2024, totalling £473 million (AUD $910 million), according to the Knight Frank report.

UK-based company McLaren Construction’s Midlands and North division has stated that the construction process is on track for a 323-bedroom student accommodation development on Talbot Street in Nottingham, England.

Soller Group’s plans for a 216-bedroom purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) in Birmingham have been approved at Birmingham City Council’s planning committee on 13 February.

Knight Frank’s analysis of UCAS’s January 2025 Cycle Application deadline data found international student applications have risen 2.7% year-on-year, with Chinese applications surging by 8.9% – indicating a potential return of international students.

A total of 61 applications were submitted to the council's planning department between February 3 and February 9, including standard home extensions and cutting down trees. Camden Council is yet to make a decision on any of these applications.

Two huge Plymouth properties have been snapped up by a private investment firm for a hefty £35 million. Veld Capital has made a bold move in purchasing the student accommodations Mary Parker House, situated next to the old Royal Eye Infirmary (REI), and Saltwater Place on Notte Street.