The amount of student beds in London which are owned by Universities has taken a huge drop since 2010 – with the percent dropping from over 65% to 55%. It’s a trend which is potentially set to continue as the University of London say they’re happy to engage with the private sector on new developments for student housing.

The University, set to speak at our UK Universities Zero Carbon Estates Development Plans Conference next month, have highlighted the rapid growth in development of private student housing which has helped increase the overall provision of student accommodation in the capital. The market has become ‘saturated’ according to their Director of Property and Facilities Management Dr Ghazwa Alwani-Starr

There is set to be a shortage of available housing for students of around 11,000 beds in the capital – and Alwani-Starr is calling on the construction and property industry to help it deliver 2,500 new beds as soon as possible – as they look to engage with the private sector.

That wouldn’t just focus on beds however, the University of London wants to transform what housing looks like – ensuring it connects better with University life, offering a better education and way of living for those students studying there – whilst it will also be key to ensuring London Universities continue to attract students from across the UK and globally too.

She said: ”London has the highest concentration of top-quality universities in the world but surveys regularly show low levels of student satisfaction. Much of that is down to where they live and how much they are paying in tent.”

The University is therefore looking to undergo a programme of delivery to provide better housing for their potential students. Affordability is obviously one key element, especially at a time when growth in student numbers is expected to come from the UK and not from wealthier foreign students.

The University has created, with the support of the British Property Federation and the Greater London Authority, an interactive mapping tool which provides information on everything from current provision of student housing to usage data for academic buildings. It’s designed to encourage more co-ordination between developers, councils and higher-education institutions in the capital.

Alwani-Starr says the University of London is open to different proposals and is happy to structure deals in a variety of ways – which will certainly be of interest to those delegates attending our UK Universities Conference in London this July. She highlights the desire to speak ‘at an early stage on regeneration projects’ citing the schemes at Euston and Canada Water as prime examples. That would then allow the University to ensure any projects integrate into student life. Things such as a short commute whilst developing student housing along with education and academic buildings together would be some of the ideals within potential schemes – which could involve building student accommodation above teaching buildings.

It’s a great example of collaborative working which could see developments accelerated within London to deliver additional student beds whilst ensuring it’s integrated into the University to provide a better way of life and more of an attraction to study at the Uni.

Join us to hear about the development plans and programmes of some of the leading higher education institutions at the UK Universities Zero Carbon Estates Development Plans Conference.