Unite Students commences work on its greenest ever new-build property

• Building has started on Unite Students’ latest 271-bed property in Nottingham, which will have the lowest embodied carbon in the company’s pipeline    
• This is Unite Students’ first low carbon concrete project; high efficiency heating and cooling systems will also feature    
• With estimated development costs of £34 million, Bromley Place is being built solely for the use of postgraduate students from Nottingham’s two leading universities    
• An existing late-Victorian three-storey building is to be repaired and repurposed as part of the project

Unite Students, the UK’s largest provider of student accommodation, has started building one of its greenest ever purpose-built student accommodation properties.

The £34 million development, on Lower Parliament Street, Nottingham, will have the lowest embodied carbon of any development in the company’s current and recent pipeline. It will also be the company’s first new-build development aimed exclusively at postgraduate students.

Bromley Place, which will provide 271 beds, will incorporate an existing late-Victorian, three-storey building, preserving the historic features from the original site. The building, a former Argos store, will be repaired and repurposed as part of the project, which is expected to be ready in time for the start of the 2024/25 academic year.

A low-carbon cement substitute – containing ground granulated blast furnace slag – will be used in the build. Low energy LED lighting and high efficiency heating and cooling systems will also be used, further improving the environmental performance of Bromley Place.

As well as newly designed bedrooms, with brand-new bathroom pods, Bromley Place will host impressive amenity and study space, including a roof terrace.

The property adds to the Group’s city presence, which includes 705-bed Morriss House, due to open in time for the start of the 2023/24 academic year.

Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director at Unite Students, said:

“We’re thrilled to begin work on Bromley Place, located in the city centre of Nottingham, which has been designed to appeal to postgraduate students. The project has the lowest embodied carbon of all our pipeline properties and allows us to take a further step towards meeting our aspirations of becoming net zero carbon by 2030 in both development and operation.

“It is our first new-build property dedicated to mature students only and a very welcome addition to our portfolio in the city. We look forward to welcoming students 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