A £400m Renovation Plan for Student Housing in Manchester

The University of Manchester’s Fallowfield Campus is going to have several renovations, as there is a £400 million plan in motion that has been sent to the Manchester City Council.

The campus in Fallowfield is located next to several university accommodation options in the south of Manchester, in the city’s suburb. The accommodation is three miles south of the city centre. This campus has been a home to students for more than 60 years.

The plan includes the demolition of already existing buildings in addition to building more than 3,300 new purpose-built student accommodation bedrooms. The whole aim of this renovation is to rebuild the university's existing PBSA at Owens Park, Oak House, and Woolton Hall. 

All of this is happening because of the desire to better the quality of these student houses in one of the United Kingdom’s biggest cities. It’s also stated that increasing the capacity of the accommodation will lead to accommodating more students within a hall of residence. 

The current accommodation options available on-site date back to the late 1950s and mid-1960s, and the site was granted permission for reconstruction in 2015. The aim of this development is to remove around 2,176 units and add 3,209 new residential units for students to use. Unfortunately, this work was not completed back then. 

Last month, however, the plan resurfaced, as the university stated that they let their suppliers know that they intend to complete the original plan on a contract that ranges between £275m and £400m.

Sheppard Robson remarked that the project team had a study to see if they could just change the current buildings but realised that these buildings cannot be “feasibly adapted to provide the requirements of a modern student offer." 

There are also several amenities and features provided, including social and study spaces, waste storage, laundry, and cycle storage. 

"There is a need for better quality student accommodation within Fallowfield to meet the current demand in student numbers and social study facilities for the wider campus. The continued use of the site as PBSA is a desirable and viable use for the site. The existing buildings on the site are still capable of accommodating student living. Their functionality and layout, however, are no longer suitable for modern student needs." Robson added.