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

• Building work has started on Unite Students’ latest 271-bed property in Nottingham, which will have the lowest embodied carbon of any its new-build properties to date
• This is Unite Students’ first low carbon concrete project, also featuring high efficiency heating and sustainable cooling systems
• With estimated development costs of £34 million, Bromley Place is designed to cater for postgraduate students from Nottingham’s two leading universities
• An existing late-Victorian three-storey building will 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 designed for 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. The use of sustainable materials means the property’s embodied carbon will be 676kgCO2e/m2 – 11% (100kgCO2e/m2) less than it would be without using more sustainable building materials. Low energy LED lighting and high efficiency heating and cooling systems will also be installed, further improving the environmental performance of Bromley Place.

As well as newly designed bedrooms, which include bathroom pods with larger showers, Bromley Place will host impressive amenity and study space, including a roof terrace.

The property adds to Unite Students’ 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 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.

“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 increased numbers of students seeking to study in Nottingham.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact Unite Students press office on 0117 4506300 or email: press.office@unitestudents.com

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK’s largest owner, manager, and developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) serving the country’s world-leading higher education sector. We provide homes to 70,000 students across 157 properties in 23 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Our people are driven by a common purpose: to provide a ‘Home for Success’ for the students who live with us. Unite Students’ accommodation is safe and secure, high quality, and affordable. Students live predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security and high-speed Wi-Fi. We also achieved a five-star British Safety Council rating in our last audit.

We are committed to raising standards in the student accommodation sector for our customers, investors, and employees. This is why our new Sustainability Strategy, launched in 2021, includes a commitment to become net zero carbon across our operations and developments by 2030.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, the Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit Unite Group’s corporate website www.unitegroup.com or the Unite Students’ site www.unitestudents.com