Amber Beat: Student Accommodation Market News - May 2023, Week 01

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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 April 28 - May 4, 2023

United Kingdom

• Economic struggles threaten study abroad dreams: Inflation rates soar in emerging student markets with UK standing at 8.9%, USA at 6.4% and Australia at 7% (Monitor ICEF)
• Rapid growth in Nottingham's Student Accommodation sets new records with over 10,000 bed spaces in the pipeline with the growth being second only to London (NottinghamshireLive)
• Survey unveils low standard student housing: 65% living in damp or mould-infested homes, NUS Wales Calls for rent controls and landlord accountability (Voice Wales)
• False claims of Student Rents on Crowdcube investor deck debunked, platform sues and demands the refund of £466,000 raised from 177 investors. (Crowdfund Insider)
• Greystar acquires Wembley Park site from Quintain to build 770-bed PBSA development under Canvas brand near Wembley Stadium and Wembley Park tube station (PBSA news)
• Clegg Construction and University of Nottingham's £10.2m refurbishment project nominated for "East Midlands Energy Efficiency Award", forecasted to slash 380 Tonnes of CO2 (BDC magazine)
• Prime opportunity for investors: Bristol's 50-bed state-of-the-art student residence "Cheswick Campus" up for sale at nearly £7m, promising high returns (Business-live)

New Construction (United Kingdom)

• Amidst the rising local concern of student housing influx, Durham County Council approves plans for an 850-bed student housing project by Banks Group. (ITV news)
• Green light for Edinburgh's Leith Walk six-storey block to house 230 students despite opposition: Developers accused of ignoring local needs (Edinburgh live)
• Liverpool Planning Committee gives a go-ahead to the 268-bed student housing at Oldham Place on Roscoe Street (Insider media)
• Birmingham's Skyline Soars Higher: £360m Carbon-Neutral skyscraper development approved, set to Redefine the City's Architecture (BBC)
• Woodnbourn Group’s world’s first mixed-use net zero carbon ready development plan near Curzon Street to be reviewed again; includes 732 units of PBSA beds. (The Business Deck)
• Developer Downing proposes new student towers with 699-unit student accommodation block and 91 flats to replace Holiday Inn Express near North Acton Tube (Ealing Times)
• Artisan Real Estate plans to build a 321 studio apartments student accommodation complex on St Vincent Street and Pitt Street, following approval for a hotel and serviced apartments (Glasgowlive)

United States of America

• Government taxation in Santa Barbara US might put small rental operators out of business, just as universities take back the promises to provide student housing (newspress)
• After four years of steady increment, the University of New Mexico once again raises its full-year student housing rents for the 2023-24 school year (rdrnews)
• Munger Hall project is opposed by 80% of undergraduates, according to a survey conducted by the Associated Students Office of the President of UC Santa Barbara (Daily Nexus)
• Students hold silent protest for inadequate housing and lack of on-campus options at Brandeis University (The Justice)
• Northeast College of Health Sciences slashes on-campus housing costs for Fall 2023, offering rooms starting at $1,590 per trimester (FL Times)
• University of Hawai at Mānoa to begin construction on 558-bed student housing facility in September 2023 (Kaua'i now News)
• University of Missouri declines to renew contract with The Rise on Ninth Street due to decreased need, causing concerns for students searching for affordable housing options in Columbia (Komu)
• Chicago-based CA Ventures plans a major 7-storey housing project near USC with 418 total units and 84 low-income units, expanding its focus on student housing (The Real Deal)
• Blue Vista Capital and Redstone Residential plan to develop premium studentent housing “University View Rexburg” for Brigham Young University-Idaho (Businesswire)

Australia

• The Australian government plans to reform migration policy: proposes changes to safeguard education quality and address migration challenges (ICEF Monitor)
• “Not enough homes to rent”: Australia’s rental vacancy drops to 1.1% while the healthy market stands at 3%, Property Council of Australia bashes rent capping over concerns of housing undersupply (Architecture and Design)
• Arbitrary agent requests, scams, and an auction-like experience, Australia’s rental market worsens amidst the housing crisis (SBS Spanish)
• Troubled Immigration system gets a potential lifeline: Albanese Government charts a new course for Australia's Migration Policies, temporary visa holders’ income threshold to be increased upto AUD70,000 (Sydney. Edu)
• New $410M Carlaw Park Student Village boosts Auckland's tertiary education sector adding 907 new rooms to the University of Auckland campus (Stuff)

Europe

• Study shows European student accommodation construction costs are up to 32% lower than in other regions, while housing development in Birmingham is up to 29% cheaper than in Dublin (The Journal)
• University of Messina signs lease with Framon Hotels for Liberty Hotel to accommodate foreign students; 102 new beds added to existing residences (lettera emme)
• Puglia Region opened a new university residence on May 3rd, accommodating 65 students at the former White House Hotel in Foggia (Foggia today)

Canada

• Windsor rent expected to continue climbing as vacancy rate drops to 1%; students struggle to afford housing (CBC)
• Housing crisis for international students in Canada: Discrimination, exploitation, and homelessness on the rise (The Conversation)
• ALMA, a privately-owned student residence on Scottsdale Drive in Guelph, plans to expand to ease the student housing shortage. (Guelph Today)
• A 256-unit student housing project by Hub Collection on corner of Tyner and Ospika Boulevards delayed due to undisclosed reasons (Prince George Citizen)

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