Plans Revealed for 3,300 Student Housing Units in a £400m Manchester Endeavor

Plans for a £400m redevelopment of the University of Manchester's Fallowfield Campus have been submitted to Manchester City Council.

The Fallowfield Campus is situated within a larger cluster of University accommodation and provision within the south Manchester suburb of Fallowfield. The site is approximately 3 miles south of the city centre. The campus has housed undergraduate students for over 60 years.

The proposal includes phased demolition of existing buildings and phased development of up to 3,300 Purpose Built Student Accommodation bedrooms. The plans aim to redevelop the university's existing aging PBSA at Owens Park, Oak House and Woolton Hall. 

This is driven by a desire to improve the quality of accommodation within one of the largest student halls campuses which the University control and an increase in capacity to assist in accommodating current undergraduate students within a University hall of residence.

The current accommodation on site dates from the late 1950's to mid 1960's. In 2015 the site was also granted permission for redevelopment. This application proposed to remove 2,176 units and develop 3,209 new residential units for students. However, this work was not completed.

Last month, the university notified suppliers of its intention to procure a partner to design, build, finance and operate the campus on a contract worth between £275m and £400m.

Sheppard Robson said the project team carried out a study considering a deep retrofit of the existing building but found they could not be "feasibly adapted to provide the requirements of a modern student offer."

The plans also include associated facilities including social and study spaces, waste storage, laundry and cycle storage.

Plans state: "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."