Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - March 2024, Week 03

About Amber Beat

Missed keeping track of all the latest happenings in the student accommodation market?

Amber Beat is a weekly snapshot of the key developments in top student accommodation markets.  This newsletter provides you with all the information you need to know, from new upcoming projects to current trends, news affecting students to government policies, we’ve got you covered!

Amber Beat | News from March 15- 21

United Kingdom

• Matt Brook Architects propose revised plans for 620-bed student housing development in Glasgow city centre after initial rejection (1)
• Final phase of £95M Collegelands Development in Glasgow unveils 586-bed student accommodation and 182 apartments in joint venture by Dawn Developments Limited and Drum Property Group (2)
• Samsung and Watkin Jones Group commence strategic partnership for groundbreaking student accommodation and build-to-rent project in Cardiff, Wales, propelling technological innovation in residential living (3)
• Blacklight Capital Partners' £60M, 204-room Liverpool Student Accommodation project nears final phase completion, set to be completed by the end of Spring 2024 (4)
• City Council grants approval for developer to transform central Glasgow site into 173-bed student accommodation including on-site public cafe and recreational facilities (5)
• Former Bristol pub site to make way for 99-bed University of the West of England student accommodation and retail units, approved by South Gloucestershire Council (6)
• Guildford Council reviews proposal for 360-unit student accommodation with disability-accessible studios and facilities. Plans include 291 ensuite cluster rooms and 69 studio apartments at accessible location Near University of Surrey (7)
• William May Developments proposes transformation of historic Nottingham site of 104-106 Upper Parliament Street into a 29-bed student accommodation (8)
• Former Sunderland Job Centre to undergo transformation into 78 luxury student apartments by Ashbrookes Developers (9)
• Iconic Core Shopping Centre in Leeds to be demolished for new retail and student accommodation development, receives positive reception from local residents (10)
• Property lender ‘Together’ unlocks £150 million finance facility for SME Developers to build more homes, addressing the student housing shortage in the UK (11)
• Tri7 and Fusion Group secure planning permission for 807-bed student accommodation project in Central Leeds, with integrated retail and commercial spaces (12)
• City Council orders site visit amid controversy over 107-bed student accommodation plans on Charles Street in Manchester by SimpsonHaugh Architects (13)

United States of America

• Florida A&M University secures $97.5 million loan to construct a new 700-bed on-campus student housing facility, expected to open in August 2025 (14)
• Whitten Development forms a JV with WEBR Investments to develop ‘Axis’, a $60 million, 658-bed luxury student housing facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina, scheduled to open in Fall, 2026 (15)
• Virginia Commonwealth University unveils plans to develop a new dorm with up to 1,250 beds for its undergraduates at 700 W. Grace St. (16)
• Northeastern University receives approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board to develop a 23-story student housing facility on Columbus Avenue designed to accommodate 1,370 students (17)
• University of Texas at Austin releases an RFQ (request for qualifications) for developers interested in building a 300-bed new student accommodation next to its law school, applications open till April 3rd, 2024 (18)

Australia

• Aspen Group Limited acquires 81 student apartments near Deakin University's Burwood campus for $8.11 million to $100,000 per unit (19)
• Brookfield Asset Management acquires development site near Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, revises plan from build-to-rent to student accommodation (20)

Europe

• The Fizz Kraków to add 1,000 apartments consisting seven and eight-story at Romanowicza Street in Zabłocie District, Poland, expected to be ready by mid-2025 (21)
• Bouygues to construct 690 student accommodations in Lyon Metro Area in France, easing housing crunch for 100,000 students by 2025 (22)
• Salamanca Luna macro-residency to open in April, adding 982 rooms to city's student housing market in Spain, increasing total accommodation to 3,782 places (23)
• New student residence set to begin on former BMW site in Granada, Spain, consisting 588 rooms, with over €1 million compensation to City Council (24)
• Barings secures €300 million to enter Spanish housing market, eyes investments in student residences and flex living (25)
• UCLy unveils a new student residence “Maison Saint Bernard" in Lyon welcoming 152 students amid housing shortage (26)
• Alfil plans 40 student residences and apartments in Malaga's Historic Center after IPO; company valued at €73.5 million, set to enter the stock exchange in Spain (27)

Canada

• Canada reconsiders a reduction of international student numbers, allowing flexibility in visa limits tied to applications and housing availability. Enrollment in the next two years to depend on changes in study permit approval rates (28)

Source: ( (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27), (28))