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£50m student housing developments set for September opening

A new student accommodation building at Great Patrick Street in Belfast is set to open in September
A new student accommodation building at Great Patrick Street in Belfast is set to open in September A new student accommodation building at Great Patrick Street in Belfast is set to open in September

TWO purpose-built student accommodation developments worth in excess of £50 million are set to open in September it has been confirmed.

Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) provider Student Roost has announced that its two properties at Great Patrick Street and Queen Street in Belfast city centre will be operational for the next academic year and provide housing for 791 students.

The 11-storey, £37 million Great Patrick Street development has 474 beds, while the £15 million Swanston House will cater for 317 students over its 13 floors. The two developments have created over 300 construction jobs and once operational the properties will employ a further 20 permanent staff meeting student’s needs.

The two new openings will mark the first time Belfast has been home to PBSA on a large scale - something other UK cities have been enjoying for decades.

Accommodation provider Student Roost has also revealed it has a further central Belfast property "in pipeline" and confirmed its recent purchase of the 413-bed John Bell House in College Square. The five-storey accommodation building first opened to students back in September 2016.

Student Roost chief executive, Tim Butler said he was delighted to move the two developments towards completion.

"These fantastic new properties could only have come about with the support of Belfast City Council and the city's two universities," he said.

“The issues were frequently complex, as they often are, but we never lost sight of our shared vision and ambition for the city. Yes Belfast is a great historic city, but it understands that its future is in being a modern place to work, invest and study. Modern PBSA is a big part of that picture."

Chief operating officer Nathan Goddard added: “When the centre was redeveloped to increase university presence, it had the potential to put real strain on residential housing. Having new high-quality, purpose-built student accommodation will give students somewhere affordable and safe to stay outside of traditional residential areas."

The impending completion of two major student housing developments comes as construction work was halted last month on the delayed £250 million Ulster University campus in Belfast. If work is completed on the campus the majority of academic courses at the university will transfer from Jordanstown to the centre of Belfast, boosting student numbers in the city from 2,000 to 15,000.

In January planning permission was granted for a a new 430-bed student housing development at Little Patrick Street, while in November a 620-bed development at Donegall Street was given the green light on appeal.