UK: Unite Students has broken ground on the Central Quay development, a £124 million PBSA project in central Glasgow.
The project promises to deliver 934 student beds across four tower blocks by the 2027/28 academic year.
The site, north of the River Clyde and adjacent to the Kingston Bridge, was previously vacant. Unite Students received full planning permission last year. The scheme will also include retail units, a social marketplace café, a yoga room, a gym, screening rooms and a garden terrace.
Once complete, this project will bring Unite’s total Glasgow portfolio to 3,200 beds. The PBSA provider says the new development will help meet the growing demand for student housing and ease pressure on the city’s housing market.
Tom Brewerton, group development director at Unite Students, said: “This property will provide more homes for students while helping to ease Glasgow’s housing shortage by freeing up houses for families.”
The Central Quay scheme is located on a brownfield site near the University of Glasgow’s main West End campus.
Though United say the project aims to regenerate the area, some local stakeholders have voiced concern. Anderston Community Council previously objected to earlier plans, warning that increased population could strain local services.
Councillor Eva Bolander said she was worried about the area being overdeveloped for students. She said: “I think there is a risk we are overdeveloping for student accommodation, and not creating the good mix that creates really good communities.”
