Wates Signed Up for £130m Student Accommodations

Wates Construction has been appointed to build three student accommodation projects Select Property Group that are together worth more than £130m to the contractor.

The contracts are for three Vita Student schemes at sites in Manchester, Newcastle and York. All schemes are programmed to complete in September 2017.

The largest of the three, worth £60.2m, is for the construction of 748 Vita Student beds at Manchester’s Circle Square, the former BBC site on Oxford Road.

The second contract, valued at £47.7m, is for a Vita Student Village in York to house 659 students in 15 three- and four-storey buildings across a 6.3 acre site. This includes the refurbishment of a former convent building.

Thirdly, Wates will also construct 331 beds at Select’s second Newcastle-based Vita Student development, which is a £23.8m development of 10 storeys at Strawberry Place near St James’ Park.

“We’re pleased to announce this partnership with Wates today on three of our most high-profile developments,” said Select Property Group chief commercial officer Mark Oakes. “We are a rapidly expanding business with over 4,500 units currently in development in the North of England across our Vita Student, CitySuites and Affinity Living brands.”

He added: “At a significant time of growth, it’s important for us to build long-lasting strategic partnerships with industry partners that we are confident can deliver on time and budget and share our commitment to produce exceptional, quality buildings that our customers want to live in.”

Phil Harrison, managing director of Wates Construction Midlands and North, said: “The buoyancy of the private residential market in the north is in part being driven by an increased appetite for premium student accommodation, a demand that Select Property Group is leading the way in addressing.

Select currently has nine Vita Student residences at sites in Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton. Five further residences are in development in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and York.