University challenge

The education sector remains highly attractive to property companies.

Big players such as Savills and Knight Frank have well-established investment and development consultancy services as part of their repertoire. Additionally, Oxford and Cambridge Universities own property worth £3.5bn with a bigger portfolio than the Church of England, covering 51,000 hectares - four times the size of Manchester.

Regeneration
Universities are taking advantage of local, disused space to accommodate their growth. For example, Newcastle University has teamed up with Genr8 Kajima Regeneration on a £500m redevelopment project (seen above) on an old General Hospital site. The development will be home to specialist housing that will be trialled specifically for those living with dementia or traumatic injury and makes up part of the Campus for Ageing and Vitality.

The east side of Birmingham has been transformed by Birmingham City University where a previously neglected area is now seen as the city's learning quarter. The city's skyline has been completely redesigned with multi-million-pound investment over the last 10 years. The University continues its development plans with work on a previously derelict factory which has stood empty for decades. This will become a collaborative hub for businesses, academies, and artists.

Bringing education into the community
Creating a cohesive environment in which education institutions sit alongside the community is seen across education-led redevelopment schemes throughout the country. Salford University submitted joint plans in March 2022 with the City Council and The English Cities Fund to create a £90m green boulevard in the sky, linking key parts of a £2.4bn masterplan.

Part of Salford Rise (a £13.17m levelling up funded project) stretches over existing infrastructure to create public realm for events and activities. As part of what is known as the Salford Innovation campus a research, development and innovation centre will sit at the northern gateway of Salford Rise. The wider masterplan consists of 3,000 new homes, over one million sq. ft. of space to innovate and collaborate alongside one million square feet of offices, retail, leisure, and a transport hub set in a vast area of green space. The mission of the masterplan is to bring communities in surrounding areas together – both in education and industry to improve the city for all.

A further example can be found on the site of the now empty Debenhams unit in Carmarthen where Hywel Dda University Health Board and The University of Wales Trinity Saint David alongside other service providers have secured £19.9m from the Levelling Up Fund. The plan is to create The Carmarthen Hwb which aims to bring health, wellbeing, learning and cultural services for the community all under one roof. The new Hwb will be the first venture of its kind in Carmarthenshire, bringing together a range of key public services.

In Leicester, the two universities; University of Leicester and De Montfort University have been praised for the positive impact they have on the local economy. This follows plans submitted in in the city's St. Nicholas Circle which will include 125-bed student accommodation, 108 studio flats as well as clusters of two, three and four bedroom flats all supported by retailing.

Universities are looking at innovative ways of growing their footprints to meet demand as well as encourage a cohesive environment in the community.

Jo Biddle