Construction starts on massive £33m student accommodation block in Glasgow city centre

Construction has stared on a massive £33 million student accommodation block in Glasgow city centre.

The block, on St Vincent Street, will provide 321 self contained studio apartments for students in Glasgow.

It will also feature a range of additional facilities and amenities, including a dedicated reception, study rooms, common areas, a gym, cinema room, roof terrace and internal cycle storage for 160 bikes.

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The previous office building on the site has been unoccupied since 2019 and has now been demolished. Developers hope to have the major structure completed by summer 2026.

The project is being undertaken by award winning developer Artisan Real Estate, Homes for Students and building contractor GRAHAM.

Artisan’s Development Director for Scotland David Westwater said: “The site is in a superb city centre location, within easy walking or cycling distance to a number of higher and further education establishments within the city.

“There is a demonstrable need for high-quality purpose-built student accommodation in the city, especially for individual studio apartments.

"The more longer-term student market we are targeting will bring energy and investment to the city centre and ensure deliverability of a superbly designed development to replace the existing office block which had remained vacant for the last five years.

"We will actively work with our neighbours to make the development an active and integral part of the local area, providing opportunities for our neighbours to share communal meeting spaces.”

GRAHAM has experience of delivering private student accommodation in Glasgow, including a recently completed £81.5 million build-to-rent scheme at Candleriggs Square in Merchant City. The contractor is also carrying out works to provide 551 student apartments on Bath Street.

Gary Holmes, Regional Managing Director at GRAHAM Building North, added: “It is fantastic to work with Artisan Real Estate to deliver attractive student residences within Glasgow city centre to alleviate the continued demand.

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"Now that GRAHAM is on site, our team look forward to bringing the development out of the ground, breathing life back into a currently vacant site. This will help to aid wider regeneration efforts in the city, helping to retain its reputation as an attractive destination for both local and international students."

Once completed, the development will be managed by Homes for Students, the largest independent student management company in the UK.

Martin Corbett, Chief Executive Officer of Homes for Students said: “We are proud to be working closely with Artisan Real Estate to ensure this will be a best-in-class, purpose-built scheme.

"We will be creating high quality accommodation and amenities for students to enjoy, providing an exceptional user experience using the skills of our property team to foster and support student wellbeing whilst closely integrating with the local community.”

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