Student accommodation specialist Curlew Capital has got the go ahead to create a 282-bedroom tower close to the Olympic Park in Stratford.

In the last ten years Curlew has invested more than £1bn in 34 schemes in 23 major university markets and its latest £60m project involves the demolition of an existing student property on Stratford High Street and creating a low-carbon structure it hopes will achieve a BREEAM outstanding rating.

Curlew is also committed to securing local jobs/apprenticeships during the construction phase which will be completed in time for the start of the 2023/24 academic year. The facility will also incorporate 160sqm of community space for use by local charities, start-ups and community programmes.

Jim Sutherland, Head of Development at Curlew Capital, said: “Stratford has undergone a significant transformation and we look forward to delivering a high-quality asset that meets the demands of modern students, including impressive ESG credentials.

“Despite the challenges faced by the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector over the past 12 months, it has proved itself to be remarkably resilient versus other use classes. With the longer-term fundamentals highly compelling, we look forward to bringing forward our significant development pipeline, to meet what we believe will be growing demand from both domestic and overseas students.”

Curlew, who partnered with Knight Frank and architects Henley Halebrown during the planning phase, is currently bringing forward six PBSA schemes nationwide.