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UK: Landmark Properties, the largest developer of student accommodation in the US, has been given the green light for a Birmingham city centre PBSA scheme.
The scheme, at 120 Suffolk Street – adjacent to the Mailbox mixed-use scheme – involves the redevelopment of an office building to provide 504 student beds, as well as communal and outdoor spaces.
The approved plans respond to an identified undersupply of student accommodation in Birmingham, with recent studies showing a shortfall of 31,065 student beds across the city. The community is scheduled for completion in 2029 and reinforces Landmark Properties’ plans to implement four to six PBSA and residential schemes per year.
Student numbers are only expected to grow as the city’s aspiration to create a world-class Birmingham Knowledge quarter evolves alongside the continued popularity of the University of Birmingham, Aston University, and Birmingham City University.
Landmark Properties has more than 74,000 student beds under active management across the world. It entered the UK market in 2024, completing its first land acquisition in 2025 — a site on William Road in central London.
120 Suffolk Street is the firm’s second UK scheme and first planning application to be approved in the UK. Landmark Properties will now work with Birmingham City Council and other partners to deliver the approved proposals.
Tristram Taylor of Landmark Properties, said: “Birmingham is a young, diverse, and growing city with a vibrant student population. Our proposals for 120 Suffolk Street will deliver high-quality student accommodation in an important and highly visible location. As our first planning application to be approved in the UK, we have recognised that Birmingham is a city which wants to drive investment and back opportunities for growth. We are looking forward to continuing to work positively with the Council as we accelerate towards delivery.”
Highlights:
- Landmark Properties, the largest developer of student accommodation in the US, has been given the green light for a Birmingham city centre PBSA scheme
- The scheme, at 120 Suffolk Street, involves the redevelopment of an office building to provide 504 student beds, as well as communal and outdoor spaces
- 120 Suffolk Street is the firm’s second UK scheme and first planning application to be approved in the UK
- Landmark Properties has more than 74,000 student beds under active management across the world
