Bristol-based Unite Group, the UK’s largest developer and manager of student accommodation, has bought two development sites in the city centre to build homes for around 900 students.
The group, which has its roots in Bristol having started out converting outdated office blocks in the city into student flats in the 1990s, said the total cost of the two new schemes, including the land, is expected to be £85m.
Unite said the sites, which it did not identify, are well located to house students from both the University of Bristol and UWE and would offer it an opportunity to further strengthen its relationships with these two long-term partners. Neither site has planning approval. 
Unite said it expected the schemes would be ready for students to move in by 2019.
The group operates 14 student accommodation buildings in Bristol city centre, mainly converted low-grade office blocks. Its schemes – along with those of rival student accommodation firms – have helped transform parts of the city which were once rundown.
The student accommodation market, which was extremely fragmented until about 20 years ago, has grown exponentially as the number of young people attending higher education has soared. It was one of the few parts of the commercial property sector which did not suffer during the recession.
Unite Students provides homes for more than 45,000 students in 132 properties across 28 UK university towns and cities. It works in partnership with more than 60 higher education providers as well as renting rooms directly to students.
Unite Students managing director of property Richard Simpson said: “We are delighted to have acquired two high-quality sites in Bristol. We look forward to developing these sites and adding more high-quality student accommodation to our existing estate in a strategically important city.”
