Student housing tower in east London approved after developer reworks plan

The developer then appointed a new project team to redesign the scheme. The new plan, designed by architects Metropolitan Workshop, includes 430 student cluster rooms and 262 studio flats, with 35% of the homes at affordable rents capped by the mayor of London.

It will also contain living spaces with en-suite bedrooms, kitchen and dining spaces and roof terraces, as well as a gym, yoga studio, laundry and media room.

An improved public realm designed by landscape architects Spacehub will be included and the building will target a BREEAM (the Building Research Establishment’s environmental assessment method) rating of Excellent, with a biodiversity net gain of 154% across the scheme.

The site is a five-minute walk from Stratford station and within walking distance of several universities including University College London East, the London College of Fashion and the University of East London, which have a combined total of more than 27,000 students.

The scheme is estimated to create 74 jobs per year during construction, with an additional 20 jobs created during operation.

Dominus specialises in the student housing and living sectors, with 3,800 student beds across the UK.

In September, it appointed John Blanshard as director of PBSA and Sarah Reynolds as PBSA operations director. The appointments come ahead of the completion of its three City of London schemes, which will provide over 2,300 student beds.

David Feeney, head of student accommodation consulting at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “London’s student number growth has fast outpaced its growth in supply... This development will help to meet unmet demand in one of the fastest-growing higher education clusters in the largest university market globally.”

This month, London-based investors Valpre Capital and Katch Investment Group formed a joint venture to build a portfolio of 1,500 student homes across the UK, with a target gross development value of £500m. The student beds will be located across London and Bristol, as well as at least one additional major city.

Student landlord Empiric Student Property also warned this month that it may not reach its occupancy target for this academic year, citing a decline in the number of Chinese students and oversupply in Nottingham, Sheffield and Glasgow. Empiric said that achieving its occupancy target for this academic year will be “challenging” if current conditions persist.