Pershore Junction is a new 127-bedroom purpose-built student building in the heart of Birmingham from developer Alumno.
The £24 million project was funded by Who Hup Holdings Limited and built by GMI Construction Group. It has transformed a former BT brownfield site on Dogpool Lane to accommodate the increasing number of students from local universities, including Birmingham’s School of Dentistry.
David Campbell, Alumno Managing Director said: “It is wonderful to see this dynamic building come to life and provide accommodation for Birmingham’s expanding student population. Working with the local authority and community was integral to the buildings’ success and it has re-energised the overlooked site to offer a unique student experience and enhance this vibrant university town.”
Philip Johnson, Head of Investment at Who Hup, commented: “Woh Hup is delighted to launch this new property at Pershore Junction to add to our existing portfolio of 1000+ operational PBSA beds in the UK. We believe high-quality purpose-built student accommodation in tier one locations in the UK offers great opportunities to investors. We are extremely grateful to the Alumno and GMI teams for their support in delivering a best-in-class building and look forward to welcoming students in Sept 2024. We continue to look for further development / funding opportunities around the Selly Oak and adjacent areas”.
The contemporary brick building is distinctive yet fits appropriately into the wider fabric of the local area and has been designed by architects Howells. Alan McCartney, Partner at Howells said: “Pershore Junction contributes appropriately to the ongoing transformation of Stirchley, with the design delivering a contemporarily crafted brick and terracotta building, that remains clearly of its place, drawing reference to materials and details found on several local landmarks, including Selly Park Church and Dogpool Lane Hotel. Stirchley is a fantastic part of Birmingham and the quality the whole team have been able to deliver will serve to set the benchmark for new buildings coming
forward in the area – we have always remained committed to providing design excellence for this site and the design overall has benefited significantly through community and local authority involvement.”
Gareth Jones, Divisional Managing Director, GMI Construction Group PLC stated: “As part of our ongoing partnership with Alumno, we’re delighted and incredibly proud to see another fantastic project complete. This new purpose-built student accommodation has been delivered to an incredibly high standard and has been sustainably designed and built to meet the needs of Birmingham’s ever-growing student population.”
Alumno is a strong advocate of enriching the surrounding areas of all its student developments by seeking opportunities to integrate the arts using local creative talent. At Pershore Junction they have worked with local artists to deliver a poetry installation from Birmingham’s former poet laureate, Casey Bailey and a student photography exhibition.
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