270-Bed Sustainable Nottingham student accommodation Underway

Construction work has officially commenced on a new  271-bed student accommodation block at a former Argos site in Nottingham. The Nottingham student accommodation, named Bromley Palace, is scheduled for completion in time for the academic year beginning in the following September. This Nottingham student accommodation is designed to include an existing late-Victorian, three-storey building located on Lower Parliament Street. The building, a former Argos store, will be repaired and repurposed as part of the project. 

This project is being undertaken by Unite Students, a prominent provider of student housing in the UK, who are known for initiatives like the 700-bed Morris House on Derby Road, which is due to finish in time this September. Unite Students provide homes to 70,000 students across 157 properties in 23 leading university towns and cities. They also currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK. The current £34 million Nottingham student accommodation construction venture is the company’s first new initiative dedicated exclusively to postgraduate students. 

The upcoming Nottingham student accommodation facility will encompass modern amenities such as newly designed bedrooms with attached bathroom pods with larger showers. Bromley Palace will also feature stunning study spaces and a rooftop terrace. Unite Students is also proud to assert that this latest development will exhibit the lowest embodied carbon footprint compared to any of its recent projects. 

To achieve its sustainability goals, the company plans to use a sustainable low-carbon cement substitute containing ground granulated blast furnace slag. The use of sustainable materials will ensure that the property’s embodied carbon will be less than it would be without using more sustainable building materials. Furthermore, this postgraduate student accommodation development will also integrate low-energy LED lighting and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, improving the environmental performance of Bromley Palace. 

Expressing enthusiasm for the project, Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, said, “We are thrilled to begin work on Bromley Place, located in Nottingham city centre. This property will have the lowest embodied carbon of all our new-build properties to date and allows us to take a further step towards meeting our aspirations of becoming net zero carbon by 2030 in both development and operation.” He further adds, “The property has been designed to appeal to postgraduate students and we look forward to welcoming students to Bromley Place in the 2024/25 academic year. Once open, Unite Students will be able to cater for the increased number of postgraduate students seeking to study in the vibrant city of Nottingham attending the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.” 

Nottingham is currently witnessing a surge in significant student housing initiatives, with numerous projects in progress. It is estimated that around 56,000 students will require housing within the city by September 2025. Earlier this year, the Nottingham City Council articulated its intent to diminish the dominance of student stays in certain neighbourhoods. To achieve this, the focus is shifting towards developing more purpose-built student accommodations (PBSA), in contrast to relying heavily on houses in multiple occupations (HMOs).