The latest phase of Nottingham’s The Island Quarter has moved a step closer to completion as the final structural beam of its student accommodation scheme was put in place.
The moment was marked with a topping out ceremony for the ongoing phase, which will be home to nearly 700 students from next autumn.
Once completed the facility will be managed by Fresh, a leading student accommodation provider. The student accommodation forms the second phase of the 36-acre development, with the initial phase – restaurant and entertainment venue 1 The Island Quarter – opening its doors last September.
The Island Quarter is an exciting mixed-use development and unique, not just for Nottingham but for the Midlands and the UK. The 36-acre site will be totally transformed to bring new homes, grade A office space, creative spaces, a lifestyle hotel, PRS apartments and co-working space, retail units, a linear park and vibrant community and event space as well as student accommodation to the city.
Christian Parnell, B+K Regional Director, said: “We are delighted to be a part of this significant milestone for the project. The topping out ceremony marks the one-year anniversary that we started work on this site. Everyone – Conygar, consultants, and ourselves – have worked well together, and collaboratively, to get where we are today. We are now focused on delivering the project for next year’s student intake.”
Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “Topping out is a significant milestone in any construction programme, but in this case, it is especially important as it brings us a step closer to fulfilling our plans for The Island Quarter as a whole.
“From the very outset, we wanted The Island Quarter to be an exemplar of intergenerational living, and this high-quality student accommodation will not only help us reach those ambitions, but also strengthen the offer that Nottingham has for students, ensuring we get the highest calibre of students in our city and attending our universities.”
Across the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, there has been an increase in students needing accommodation of approximately 30% since 2016, with Nottingham City Council estimating that there is a shortfall of around 5,500 accommodation spaces across the city.