UK: Student accommodation provider Unite Students has submitted plans to develop 2,300 bed spaces across two new complexes for Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) as part of a joint venture investment valued at nearly £400 million.
The proposed All Saints Campus development will replace the existing 770-bed Cambridge Halls building.
The new complexes will be connected by a public thoroughfare and aim to address the university’s increasing demand for student housing.
Alongside improved accommodation, the development will provide new community spaces along Cambridge Street.
Manchester is the UK’s second-largest university city, with over 100,000 full-time students enrolled at four universities.
MMU alone requires around 5,700 beds annually to meet demand from first-year and international students, but currently owns fewer than half that number. This ongoing undersupply has led to higher rents and a reliance on privately rented family homes.
Through the joint venture, Unite Students and MMU aim to redevelop the Cambridge Halls site, providing modern, high-quality on-campus accommodation with features such as private bathrooms.
The project will deliver 2,300 new studio and cluster bedrooms, catering to a range of price points.
Following extensive public consultation and stakeholder engagement over the past year, the final plans have been submitted to Manchester City Council.
The updated design incorporates key changes, including the retention of pedestrian access through the site and enhanced public spaces for shared use.
The project team includes development consultancy Turley, architects Cartwright Pickard, design consultancy Re-Form Landscape, design and planning firm Arup, and engineering and environmental consultants Waterman Group.
Andrew Fallon, chief property officer at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “As an ambitious university, we are committed to providing a modern campus in the city centre for our students, colleagues, and the community. This joint venture will deliver much-needed student accommodation and offer new health, wellbeing, and retail facilities for the local area.”
Highlights:
- Unite Students has submitted a £400 million planning application to deliver 2,300 new student beds in Manchester
- The proposed scheme will redevelop the Cambridge Halls site into two new accommodation blocks for Manchester Metropolitan University
- The joint venture aims to address a critical shortfall in purpose-built student housing while improving public spaces along Cambridge Street
