GSA expands portfolio, investing c. £80m to develop 950 student beds with contract awards to McAleer & Rushe
With the backing of GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, Global Student Accommodation (GSA) has contracted McAleer & Rushe to deliver two state-of-the-art student residences on Lansdowne Road and Holdenhurst Road in Bournemouth, both of which are due for completion in time for the 2019/20 academic year and will bring over 950 additional student rooms to the town.
With excellent locations offering outstanding transport links to both Bournemouth University and Bournemouth Arts University, Bailey Point (Lansdowne Road) and Belaton House (Holdenhurst Road) are expected to transform expectations for student accommodation within the town. They will both be operated by The Student Housing Company, which was named Student Accommodation Operator of the Year in December 2017, and will offer residents access to stunning shared spaces including games rooms, communal study and cinema rooms, as well as secure bike storage and the latest laundry facilities.
Upon completion, the £47m Bailey Point will be a landmark high rise building on a site previously occupied by a Bournemouth University building and car park. The development will house 550 students in a combination of four to eight bed apartments and will offer access to a stunning sky lounge. As part of the works, highway improvements are also being undertaken.
Being constructed on land which was underutilised and included a retail store, the £36m Belaton House will provide 403 bedrooms, in a combination of three to eight bed apartments, ‘twodios’ and studios.
Since entering the student accommodation sector in January 2014, McAleer & Rushe has completed almost 3,000 beds and is contracted to build a further 4,300 beds. The relationship between the Northern Ireland based contractor and GSA began with the successful delivery of the 356-bedroom Austen House student development in Southampton which was then followed by the landmark scheme, Catherine House in Portsmouth providing 1000-beds.
Commenting on this current development Dominic Trainor, Contracts Director at McAleer & Rushe, said:
“We are delighted to work once again in close partnership with GSA following the completion of the Southampton and Portsmouth based schemes. There is a great spirit of teamwork and collaboration between the teams shaping these two very exciting projects which we look forward to seeing come to life in Bournemouth.”
James Childs, UK Construction Director at GSA, said:
“Having been planning these developments for over two year, it’s extremely exciting to see works start. At the peak of construction, we estimate that there will be in excess of 300 operatives working at Bailey Point and Belaton House, and 8 staff will be employed to operate each residence once they open in 2019. The vast majority of these vacancies will be filled by local workers.
Student accommodation is absolutely vital to students’ wellbeing, and at GSA we firmly believe that offering the right housing can make a real difference to students’ lives. We look forward to bringing our outstanding offering and service to Bournemouth come 2019. Supporting the local community is central to our ethos, and we will be transforming the streetscape as part of this project, as well as making a significant contribution to the already thriving local community.”
Jim Andrews, Chief Operating Officer at Bournemouth University, which was involved in the Bailey Point project, said:
“We were pleased to work with GSA and its predecessors on the planning for the Lansdowne Road development, and look forward to seeing these developments open in time for the 2019/20 academic year.”
