Developer Linkcity has been granted planning permission by the London Borough of Newham for Phase 4 of its Hallsville Quarter development masterplan in Canning Town. Phase 4 proposes a new mixed-use city block designed by architects PRP, which includes 377 purpose-built student accommodation rooms, a wide range of student amenity
Offsite Solutions, the UK’s leading bathroom pod specialist, has been awarded its second student living contract at the University of the West of England’s Frenchay Campus in Bristol – a £1.7m project to manufacture 757 bathroom pods for VINCI Building. Offsite Solutions has delivered 16 pod projects for VINCI Building
THE CONYGAR Investment Company PLC has announced that Midlands-based construction company, Bowmer + Kirkland is its project partner for the student accommodation phase at The Island Quarter, in Nottingham – one of the UK’s biggest regeneration sites. The 12-storey 693-bed student living accommodation is currently underway at the £1.4 billion,
The former site of Images Nightclub in Worcester has been transformed into 83 student flats, with Intrastack supplying the steel-frame structure and the installation being undertaken by installer, Intastruct, on behalf of the main developer, Spec Projects. Intrastack, part of the Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions division, manufactured and delivered the light
Two strikingly designed, high-quality student residences opened recently in Manchester and London on schedule and in time for the new University year. Developed by Alumno, each is unique in its appearance and architecture, yet makes a similarly active contribution to the community, heritage, regeneration and arts scene in their localities.
A stunning new student accommodation scheme on Merrion Street in central Leeds has been sold to Q Investment Partners (QIP), a Singapore headquartered private equity real estate firm that connects residential real estate to capital markets, in a deal worth approximately £15 million. The 88 high specification studio apartments with
Scott Brownrigg’s masterplan for a new film and television studio campus in central Bedfordshire near Stewartby has been submitted for planning. The scheme redevelops a 143-acre site and former clay mineral quarry to provide over 1.75m sq ft flexible studio space together with on-site accommodation, amenities and a re-wilded water
Global Student Accommodation (GSA), the global leader in student housing, and leading UK Design & Build construction company, McAleer & Rushe have celebrated the ‘topping out’ of student housing scheme St Crispin’s House, Norwich. The construction milestone signifies the installation of the final piece of the structure of the building.
Following a successful appeal by property and development company S Harrison, planning permission has been granted for a purpose-built student accommodation scheme with 64 studio apartments. Planning consultants, Turley, managed the appeal process that resulted in a decision being issued just three months after submission. The appeal was lodged after
Planning permission for new, 10-storey student accommodation on Talbot Street, Nottingham was granted on the 24th June 2022. The scheme, which will house 318 student beds, will replace the former Domestic and General office building located on the site. East Midlands-based engineering consultancy Howard Ward Associates (HWA) has been appointed
Developer Linkcity has been granted planning permission by the London Borough of Newham for Phase 4 of its Hallsville Quarter development masterplan in Canning Town. Phase 4 proposes a new mixed-use city block designed by architects PRP, which includes 377 purpose-built student accommodation rooms, a wide range of student amenity spaces including a first-floor garden and 7th-floor roof terrace and 487m2 of new ground floor, flexible commercial floorspace and landscaped public realm. As with the previous phases, Bouygues UK will be the main contractor and will take a low-carbon, sustainable approach. Construction is expected to begin towards the end of the year. Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans have been advising Linkcity on Phase 4, which will deliver the final jigsaw piece of the new town centre. It marks the penultimate phase of the Hallsville Quarter Masterplan and is expected to complete in Summer 2025. In total the Hallsville Quarter development will provide over 1,100 new homes, a new hotel, up to 30,000m2 of leisure, work and retail space with a new art-house style cinema, and community facilities including a new public health centre close to the Canning Town transport hub. New public spaces, pedestrian links, cyclist provisions and secure parking spaces are also included. Phillippa Prongué, Linkcity Managing Director said, “I’m so thrilled we have been given the go ahead to deliver phase 4 of this significant regeneration project in the London Borough of Newham, which will provide much-needed student accommodation in the area. It’s exciting to see the new town centre coming on at pace and students will bring vitality and diversity to this community.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Offsite Solutions, the UK’s leading bathroom pod specialist, has been awarded its second student living contract at the University of the West of England’s Frenchay Campus in Bristol – a £1.7m project to manufacture 757 bathroom pods for VINCI Building. Offsite Solutions has delivered 16 pod projects for VINCI Building to date which includes major student accommodation schemes for universities in Swansea, Cardiff, Coventry, and Liverpool. This latest project is for the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) – and it is Offsite Solutions’ third for this university. This highly sustainable development is one of the largest Passivhaus projects in the UK. It is designed to provide a high level of comfort for students whilst using very little energy for heating and cooling, helping UWE Bristol and VINCI Building to meet their environmental aspirations. As part of the certified low carbon strategy, the buildings aim to yield a reduction of around 50 per cent in running costs and carbon emissions. To help achieve this, the cold water pipework in the bathroom pods will be insulated and the thermostatic shower and mixer taps for the hand basins are designed to run at lower temperatures. Both of these measures will reduce energy consumption for heating hot water. Steve O’Leary, Regional Business Services Manager at VINCI Building, said, “I have managed the procurement and delivery of around 3,500 pods manufactured by Offsite Solutions in the past nine years. Their approach suits VINCI Building’s model of student accommodation very well. They have robust factory testing processes in place which mean the quality is better and more consistent. In my view, Offsite Solutions’ pods are the best in their sector and I would not hesitate to recommend.” “This solution reduces the numerous trades for bathroom construction to a single supplier, which results in a considerable time saving. Each bathroom typically takes around three weeks to construct traditionally, whereas with offsite manufacturing, we just have to position the pods, make connections, and hang the doors. This is incredibly fast.” James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions, said, “We have a history of working with VINCI Building which spans many years. We are delighted to be collaborating with their team once again and on this highly sustainable student living project in Bristol – a campus we have already worked on.” “This is an exciting development which will help to meet the rising demand for modern, high quality student living whilst demonstrating a clear commitment to addressing climate change issues. It is a ground-breaking project which will set new standards for the development of sustainable student accommodation.” Hot water distribution losses can be a major source of energy consumption and can lead to overheating risk. With a Passivhaus specification, the hot and cold water pipework, brackets and fittings are all insulated. Due for completion for the 2023/24 student intake, this phase of the Frenchay Campus development will provide 900 bedspaces in three buildings spanning over 26,000sqm and in clusters of four, six and eight bedrooms and with ensuite or shared bathrooms. The shower pods have a robust and low maintenance GRP construction. Each will be fully finished in Offsite Solutions’ Somerset factory and will be fitted with a D-shaped wall-mounted hand basin, wall-hung toilet with dual flush, thermostatic shower, and sliding shower door. The architects are Stride Treglown with Amber as MEP designers. Offsite Solutions offers the UK’s largest range of pods to suit many different building types and applications. Options include steel-framed bathroom pods with porcelain-tiled finishes for high-end apartments, PRS, student residences and hotels; robust and low maintenance GRP composite shower pods for student accommodation, build-to-rent, care homes, social housing and healthcare; hybrid pods for specialist projects, and award-winning demountable GRP pods for ease of installation in refurbishment schemes. Offsite Solutions has also developed steel-framed utility pods for apartments or studios for build-to-rent or build-to-sell developments. For further information, visit www.offsitesolutions.com, call 01278 780807 or email info@offsitesolutions.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
THE CONYGAR Investment Company PLC has announced that Midlands-based construction company, Bowmer + Kirkland is its project partner for the student accommodation phase at The Island Quarter, in Nottingham – one of the UK’s biggest regeneration sites. The 12-storey 693-bed student living accommodation is currently underway at the £1.4 billion, 36-acre development and is set to welcome its first residents in September 2024 ahead of the academic year. The student accommodation will offer a range of room types including studio flats and cluster living and has been designed by DAY Architectural as part of The Island Quarter’s wider masterplan to combat the continuing shortfall in student accommodation in the city. Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “Work is well under way on the new student blocks and large cranes are in the sky. We are pleased to be partnering with such a well-regarded company as Bowmer + Kirkland to deliver our vision. “The new space will support Nottingham’s reputation as a leading university city and will provide another choice for city centre living for students, which will benefit future generations attending the universities for decades to come.” It is expected that Nottingham will experience a deficit of 7,000 student beds within the coming years and this purpose-built student accommodation, which includes a high-level sky lounge, private courtyard, socialising and studying space, will go some way to supporting student living in the city. It is also part of the development’s broader masterplan promoting intergenerational living, with housing choices that work for all ages available on the site. Christian Parnell, Bowmer + Kirkland regional director, said: “It is fantastic to see our team start work on this exciting phase of The Island Quarter, in the heart of Nottingham. It is a city with which we have a long association, and our entire team is looking forward to being a part of the project and bringing the plans to fruition.” Christopher added: “The student accommodation marks a significant milestone in the progress of the development as we look ahead to the later phases of the 36-acre site. With our inaugural building, 1 The Island Quarter, already open and serving the public from our restaurant bar Binks Yard and our finer dining restaurant Cleaver & Wake, there’s plenty of action on site to be excited about as we transform this site in the centre of the city. “One of the key things that attracted us to develop The Island Quarter was Nottingham’s two world-leading universities, both of which are experiencing a shortage of high-quality accommodation for their students. We’re delighted to be bringing forward this vibrant scheme that will be an excellent addition to The Island Quarter as the development continues to grow.” Student residents will benefit from the development’s new and existing restaurants and bars, as well as the ‘green river’ of outdoor space that runs throughout The Island Quarter, which is one of the biggest regeneration sites in the UK. To find out more about The Island Quarter, please visit: theislandquarter.com Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The former site of Images Nightclub in Worcester has been transformed into 83 student flats, with Intrastack supplying the steel-frame structure and the installation being undertaken by installer, Intastruct, on behalf of the main developer, Spec Projects. Intrastack, part of the Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions division, manufactured and delivered the light gauge steel frame (LGSF) system which saw three installers erect the seven-storey student accommodation block in just 10 weeks. The demand A recent report considered there to be a lack of purpose-built accommodation (PBSA) in Worcester, with the existing stock made up mainly of conversions, houses in multiple occupation (HMO) and existing halls[i]. With these low levels of vacant PBSA facilities in the city, the Images project aimed to provide modern rooms for the student population. With over 10,000 students at the University of Worcester, local plans to increase PBSA aim to reduce pressure on the on-street rental market in order to free up accommodation for families. Meanwhile, meeting the specific needs of students with purpose-built and managed schemes makes the city an attractive prospect to future learners. Tackling this feeds directly into Worcester’s City Plan 2022-2027, which outlines the ambition for building a wide mixture of good quality housing provisions to suit the full range of needs[ii] and target growth for the city. The project The old Images nightclub site, demolished late in 2021, now houses the new seven-storey accommodation. The building comprises five self-supporting storeys of light gauge steel frame panels atop a two-storey concrete base. The speed of construction was noticeable to onlookers, as the work took place over just 10 weeks – a reduction from the originally scheduled 12 weeks – and was noted as one of the reasons for the developers choosing LGSF for the project in the first place. The system also required fewer installers on-site at any given time, with the majority of the work completed by a team of three. Rapid turnaround of design and materials, as well as the speed of installation and safety benefits, were also indicated as reasons for going with off-site steel frame manufacture. Capitalising on LGSF’s shorter construction times can provide developers with a quicker return on investment, as students are able to move in sooner than they would be able to with a traditional build. The build site, which was first used over 150 years ago, is very restricted with limited space available for storage of the steel panels needed for the construction. Intrastack scheduled and delivered the panels to the site on a ‘just-in-time’ basis, working with the installer to ensure materials were on site as and when they were needed. This also reduced the waste on-site at any given time, with all system elements arriving cut to size. The results Andy Higson, Business Director at Intrastack, said: “The rise in purpose-built student accommodation is a win for everyone. Students benefit from spaces designed just for them while more homes are freed up for families, helping communities become more balanced. This year, PBSA in the UK has surpassed 30,000 rooms for the first time[iii], showing that there’s demand for this type of housing. “An off-site approach is essential to deliver on the scale required. LGSF systems can help developers to build accommodation faster while tackling on-site challenges such as safety risks and labour shortages. When you discover how much smoother it makes the process, it becomes a no-brainer. ” Paul Hazelwood, Contracts Manager at Intastruct, the system installers, said: “There’s no doubt that the steel frame system sped up the job, and allowed us to comfortably build a storey every two weeks. It’s a fast system, and incredibly robust. “I also found Intrastack a pleasure to work with. Glitches were minimal and ironed out immediately. In fact, we received great management and support from day one until after the project is complete. I would certainly recommend this system to other developers as the best way to build multi-storey projects.” For more information, visit www.intrastack.co.uk/ Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Two strikingly designed, high-quality student residences opened recently in Manchester and London on schedule and in time for the new University year. Developed by Alumno, each is unique in its appearance and architecture, yet makes a similarly active contribution to the community, heritage, regeneration and arts scene in their localities. Each also provides much-needed accommodation for students in both areas, freeing up housing for local residents. Bermondsey Spa The London development, Bermondsey Spa, was designed by Greenaway Architects, whose work was singled out for particular praise by Southward Council, and built by HG construction. It provides fully integrated facilities for 143 students, featuring high-quality rooms with shared amenities, including a basement cinema lounge, study room and community area. The building lies on the edge of the beautiful Bermondsey Spa Gardens, with rooms offering stunning views over London. Exposed concrete slabs, thermally broken, give Bermondsey Spa a strong horizontal emphasis. These slabs are divided beautifully with different tones of grey brick – lighter on the fifth and sixth floors, slightly darker on the middle floors – with all details in black. The facade has a subtle concertina form, sheading a pleasing shadow across the building. On entering the residence, students are greeted with a minimal reception area incorporating circular features reminiscent of the design of the New York subway in a monochrome palette. Meanwhile, the stairs to the basement communal area are adorned with artworks by finalists in the Photo North Student photography competition, as well as images shot by renowned Scottish photographer and curator Martin Gray. Commenting on Bermondsey Spa, resident and engineering student Unmer Sivad said: “The building looks great and functions very well. It’s all very state of the art and very environmentally sound. A big effort has been made to capture natural light, which is great in the daytime, while the artwork about the surrounding area make people feel connected to it.” Church Inn Named after the disused public house that previously occupied the site, the nine-storey Church Inn building in Manchester was designed by Carson & Partners and built by GMI Construction Group. Located close to major arterial road The Mancunian Way, it features 62 studio apartments, along with a communal area, rooftop terrace, office and storage space for 16 bikes. External landscaping highlights the history of the site, with the reclaimed facade bricks used to create a bespoke seating area. Architect Iain Carson has created an iconic building, instantly recognisable with its name carved into the balustrade surrounding the rooftop. Ben Kelly, the legendary Hacienda designer, has added his own touch with the wooden slats on the ground floor, where there is also a nod to the Manchester’s musical history, with an oval window reminiscent of a speaker in an old-school sound system. This is also reflected in the artwork in the communal areas on each floor, with portraits by Chris Floyd, including Sean Ryder (Happy Mondays), New Order and Oasis. Again, the work of finalists from the Photo North competition are on display. Meanwhile, signage from the old Church Inn pub is displayed at the entrance, and there’s even a model of the original pub building in the foyer. Quality and fuctionality Bespoke furniture in both developments has been provided by David Tatham of Tatham Studio. Attention to detail picks out the green at Bermondsey and the orange in Manchester on the furniture, which is followed through on the wayfinding and interior design. Commenting on the completed developments, Alumno Managing Director David Campbell said: “We are delighted with these latest examples of our design-led PBSA philosophy of delivering exceptional quality and functionality for our student residents. It’s all part of our mission to change the perception of student accommodation by creating unique buildings that reflect the heritage of the local areas and make a valuable contribution to the communities within which they are built.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A stunning new student accommodation scheme on Merrion Street in central Leeds has been sold to Q Investment Partners (QIP), a Singapore headquartered private equity real estate firm that connects residential real estate to capital markets, in a deal worth approximately £15 million. The 88 high specification studio apartments with associated amenities, are being built at 26-34 Merrion Street. Work will start this month, and the scheme will be ready for occupation in time for the start of the 2024/25 academic year. The part five, part seven and part nine storey building has been designed by Brewster Bye Architects and will be delivered by Urban Developments (York) Ltd for QIP. This latest transaction forms part of a larger student housing fund managed by QIP and backed by a consortium of institutional investors, launched this year to invest in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) projects. The fund currently manages a c.£150 million portfolio that consists of approximately 1,000 student bedrooms in the UK across top-tier student cities – Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and Greater London. The Merrion Street property is located in the heart of Leeds city centre, within close proximity of both the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University. It will be operated by Homes for Students, a leading student accommodation operator in the UK with 40,000 PBSA beds nationwide in the UK. Peter Young, CEO & Co-founder QIP said: “QIP is pleased to be transacting in another PBSA development asset, further expanding our residential living platform in the UK. It is a particularly interesting time to be buying and finding value in the specialist UK residential housing sector. Without a doubt, the current macro market influences are presenting valued opportunities in PBSA, and we are thrilled to continue to work with one of the leading institutional investors* in transacting this opportunity through one of our funds.” Nick Gould from Urban Developments (York) Ltd, said: “It’s a great site, located right between the city’s universities and key retail areas. Brewster Bye’s design meets all of the needs of modern students, and we are looking forward to delivering this much needed, purpose-built student scheme for QIP.” Mark Henderson, from Brewster Bye Architects, said: “After designing this scheme and securing planning permission for it earlier this year, it’s fantastic to see work starting on site. For a global property fund to invest in the development, at this early stage, speaks volumes about the quality of the scheme and Leeds’s student market as a whole. “All 88 studios will have en-suites and the new building will also include a lounge, gym, study rooms, a cinema room and laundry facilities for residents. Four of the studios are accessible and there are two larger premium studios. The development will also include a staffed reception area and 23 cycle spaces.” The scheme is located on the northern edge of Leeds city centre’s main shopping and leisure quarters. Victoria Gate and Trinity shopping centres, as well as the city’s main university campuses and Leeds General Infirmary, are all less than a 10-minute walk away. Singapore private equity firm swoops for major new student accommodation scheme in Leeds Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Scott Brownrigg’s masterplan for a new film and television studio campus in central Bedfordshire near Stewartby has been submitted for planning. The scheme redevelops a 143-acre site and former clay mineral quarry to provide over 1.75m sq ft flexible studio space together with on-site accommodation, amenities and a re-wilded water body and canal for developer VERB and film studio operator Quartermaster. Home of Production (HOP) Bedfordshire will set a new benchmark for sustainable studio facilities in the UK and will be the first facility designed by producers, for producers – also incorporating premium facilities aimed at squarely addressing the need for production crews to achieve better balance in their work environment. The former quarry, known as Quest Pit, opened in 1983 and was the last active brick pit in Bedfordshire when it closed in 2008, leaving a series of redundant brownfield sites with access tracks and flooded extraction bowls, and parts of the site up to 12 metres below natural ground level. The masterplan addresses this by placing four separate 430,500 sq ft production units on a 70-acre platform, four metres above the water level. These units centre around a restaurant and activity zone, visually linked to two large lakes that have formed over time due to the natural flooding of extraction pits. Workshops envelop studio space, while an outer loop road provides access to supporting facilities. Importantly, the land has already been purchased and realisation of the masterplan is fully- financed – meaning that a planning decision can move rapidly to commencement of the construction programme. Head of Masterplanning at Scott Brownrigg, Bruce Calton said of the project: “This complex brief, across an intriguing site, combines landscape, water and a highly-functional film and television campus masterplan. It has been a rewarding experience creating such a unique setting for the Home of Production (HOP) within the UK.” An accomplished and multi-disciplinary group was formed to drive the project forward and encompassing the broad range of skills and experience required for an ambitious project of this type. Quartermaster delivered the vision and extensive studio experience, in partnership with the real estate developer VERB to make that an operational reality. Scott Brownrigg and SWECO offered complementary input through the planning process to make the overall masterplan achieve as much as possible from the site, whilst accommodating each of the ambitious performance targets self- imposed by the group. The landscaping strategy developed by Macfarlane Associates includes the introduction of ecological corridors across the site and new wetland and floating reed beds to create habitats for future and existing wildlife species. Planting tall trees around the site perimeter and positioning large-scale buildings into the valley base will significantly reduce the visual impact of the development to the surrounding flat landscape across Bedfordshire. This deliberately-unobtrusive approach is allied to strong commitments to a sustainable future for the site – targeting BREEAM Excellent for the build whilst also installing PV panels across the site to supply somewhere between 50-85% dependent on occupation levels at a given time. A transport hub will connect the site to the local bus network with an arrival point for cyclists, pedestrians and coaches. New pedestrian links and walking routes will line the site’s parameter, with widened pavements to enhance usability and safety provided throughout. The Home of Production (HOP) development is anticipated to bring 1,400 jobs to the local area if approved. Submission for planning follows a series of public consultations where the scheme received significant public support, and with exciting plans in place to continue working hard with Central Bedfordshire Council plus a range local education bodies to return real, measurable benefits for the community in the coming years. A phased construction programme is due to start early 2023. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Global Student Accommodation (GSA), the global leader in student housing, and leading UK Design & Build construction company, McAleer & Rushe have celebrated the ‘topping out’ of student housing scheme St Crispin’s House, Norwich. The construction milestone signifies the installation of the final piece of the structure of the building. Originally a 1970’s office block, St Crispin’s House is an example of how buildings can be repurposed, refurbished, extended, and given a new lease of life. When it opens in time for the 2023/24 academic year, the property will be home to 684 students, who will benefit from on-site facilities including communal spaces, a gym, podcast studio, a multi-purpose event room and a combination of individual and joint study spaces to support them on their higher education journey. By retaining the existing structure, the impacts of the development process are significantly minimised. Benefits include the reduction in environmental impact, a reduced development timeframe and subsequently a reduced impact on the local community. Additional initiatives will be implemented to secure a rating of BREEAM Very Good and a Fitwel three-star accreditation, the highest level available for St Crispin’s House. This includes 75% of the total roof level designed as a green roof, the installation of air-source heat pumps, and all electric heating. This approach is embraced by Yugo, GSA’s global operating partner, who are committed to delivering incredible experiences for students, supported by three core pillars — YugoEco, YuPro, and YuGrow. This includes identifying opportunities to cut carbon, reduce water use, purchase energy from renewable resources, and implement data measurement systems. Norwich’s leading universities, the University of East Anglia, and Norwich University of the Arts, attract 17,000 students combine, but 63% of full-time students are currently unable to access university or purpose-built student accommodation in the city. St Crispin’s House will contribute to reducing this shortfall and respond to the evolving needs and expectations of today’s students. Commenting on the milestone, Doug Barton, Development Manager at GSA said: “I would like to thank everyone at McAleer & Rushe and the wider construction team who have helped us to reach this fantastic milestone at St Crispin’s House. It’s testament to the expertise and our working relationship that we are another step closer to delivering much needed student housing for Norwich. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the team as we target completion in July 2023.” Commenting on the ceremony, Mark Elliott, Contracts Director at McAleer & Rushe said: “We are delighted to have reached the topping out milestone in the sustainable redevelopment of St Crispin’s House, which once complete, will provide market-leading student residences in the heart of Norwich. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire construction team for their hard work and our client Global Student Accommodation for their open and collaborative approach. We look forward to continuing our engagement partnerships within the local community as we continue with construction which is targeted to complete in July 2023.” Simon Griffiths, Regional Director UK and Ireland at Yugo added: “We are thrilled to see St. Crispin’s House heading into the final phase of construction. Once finished, this building and its outstanding amenities will be a hub for students to live, learn and grow during their university years. We are eager to open the doors to Yugo’s first living space in Norwich before the start of the 2023/24 academic year and partner with the universities here to provide the much-needed additional spaces for students to live their best life.”. Throughout the construction of St Crispin’s House, GSA and McAleer & Rushe are proud to support two important charities. The Lighthouse Club, which supports construction workers and their families, providing them with emotional, physical and financial wellbeing. And The Feed, a social enterprise with a mission to motivate change in people to prevent poverty, hunger and homelessness in Norwich. The businesses were delighted that The Feed was able to host the ‘topping out’ reception at their café at Waterloo Park.
Following a successful appeal by property and development company S Harrison, planning permission has been granted for a purpose-built student accommodation scheme with 64 studio apartments. Planning consultants, Turley, managed the appeal process that resulted in a decision being issued just three months after submission. The appeal was lodged after members of the development management sub-committee refused the initial application, going against their planning officer’s recommendation that it should be approved. Turley also provided heritage and townscape services on the project. Designed by CDA, the scheme, on East Newington Place, off Newington Road will see an old, disused commercial unit demolished and the site redeveloped into a modern, energy-efficient four storey building, with on-site management. East Newington Place is located close to the main city centre campus of the University of Edinburgh and within easy reach of the amenities on Newington Road. As well as the 64 studios, the development has separate study rooms, a multimedia room, gym, break out space, cycle storage and a south facing courtyard garden. David Clancy, from S Harrison, said: “As the universities continue to successfully attract increasing student numbers, the provision of purpose-built student accommodation like this will help to relieve the pressure on family housing stock, which is very much in line with the council’s own guidance. “It’s the ideal location for a student development, just half a mile from the George Square campus, and a ten-minute cycle to both the King’s Buildings campus and Edinburgh Napier University’s Merchiston campus. We are confident students will be attracted to East Newington Place’s position, as well as the high-quality studios and communal facilities. “City of Edinburgh Council planning officers considered there to be no material planning reasons to justify refusal and that our designs will preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area. They also stated that the development will not result in excessive concentration of students in the locality, and the planning inspector agreed with these conclusions.” With a fabric first approach, the development will have full LED lighting, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and utilise air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. David added: “The scheme has excellent energy efficient credentials and the high-quality building materials will reflect and be sympathetic to the surrounding buildings. Its height is also more in keeping with other buildings in the local area and it’s a positive result that will see a disused brownfield site get a fresh new future.” Demolition work will start next month, and work is due to start on site in spring 2023, with studios being ready for occupation for September 2024. S Harrison has excellent credentials in the student market. As well as developing several schemes in the north of England, East Newington Place represents the fourth successful scheme in Edinburgh, with further developments in the pipeline in the city, as well as in Glasgow. The business has also made a substantial investment in Edinburgh in recent years. In 2019 the company delivered a £25m scheme to provide a landmark boutique hotel for Malmaison in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town. The work saw the Grade A listed Buchan House, on the north-west corner of St Andrew Square, converted into a stylish 72-bedroom hotel complete with Malmaison’s renowned Chez Mal Bar and Brasserie. S Harrison also has planning permission for a stunning new hotel on Osborne Terrace. The transformational scheme will see Osborne House, an old 1970s office building within the Wester Coates area, just West of Edinburgh’s city centre, converted into a new 157-bedroom hotel, with a restaurant and bar on the ground floor. The developer is also exploring opportunities for its 0.6-hectare site on Ocean Drive in Leith.
Planning permission for new, 10-storey student accommodation on Talbot Street, Nottingham was granted on the 24th June 2022. The scheme, which will house 318 student beds, will replace the former Domestic and General office building located on the site. East Midlands-based engineering consultancy Howard Ward Associates (HWA) has been appointed as civil and structural engineer on the development through repeat work with long established clients, McLaren Property. From its head office in Nottingham, HWA delivers construction engineering consultancy services across a range of sectors, including education, healthcare, emergency services, commercial and residential throughout the country. HWA has given pre purchase advice on engineering site constraints such as contamination, site levels and services. To support the planning application HWA provided a contamination preliminary risk assessment, transport assessment and travel plan, flood risk and SuDS strategy alongside civil and structural engineering design. The project provides an opportunity to regenerate an inner-city site in an area which is closely linked to Nottingham Trent University. Over the last five years, Wollaton Street, adjacent to Talbot Street, has been extensively redeveloped, providing areas which resemble an extension of the university campus. The purpose-built student accommodation provides social benefit by relieving pressure on community housing. Dan Bailey, managing director at HWA, said: “We are delighted to be working on the Talbot Street development following planning approval – refurbishing the former Domestic and General building into quality student accommodation for an area closely linked to Nottingham Trent University. “The site presents great opportunity to give a worthwhile contribution to the ongoing regeneration efforts in the inner city. We have been involved providing pre purchase due diligence on engineering matters and support through the planning phase for this student resi with McLaren Property, along with planning consultants Savills who navigated gaining the permission.” HWA will be working alongside Leonard Design, Chord Consult, Pulse Consult, and Evolve in the following phases, with the project programmed to complete for occupation in the 2025 academic year.
