Construction of student accommodation begins at station site

This private sector development is being underwritten by University College Falmouth (UCF) and the University of Exeter (UoE), who share and jointly manage the Cornwall Campus (known as the Tremough Campus) in Penryn, demonstrating their support for professionally-managed student residences in line with their accommodation strategy.

UCF and UoE have developed this strategy in consultation with Bristol-based company, Campus Development Management (CDM), a UK-wide specialist in the student accommodation sector.  CDM has also managed the tri-partite legal negotiations between Bath Row Developments, its funders and the institutions.

The Station Road development will provide contemporary student accommodation for 233 students in clusters of between four and seven rooms, and in a small number of studios. 

“The scheme will incorporate planted areas and green open spaces that will significantly enhance the visual impact of the site and utilise local materials, sub-contractors and suppliers as much as possible,” explained Bob Pepper of Bath Row Developments. “All of the work on site is being carried out by Kier Living, who will be sourcing 85% of the labour and materials for the development from within the West Country.”

The finished scheme will be managed by CRM, the market leader in the management of student accommodation across the country.  CRM will provide an on-site management team and manage the letting administration, security, maintenance, cleaning, laundrette, health and safety compliance, and IT services.

Residents will be encouraged to use the excellent, subsidised public transport links that exist locally as well as a car hire club and the free bicycles that each student cluster is going to be provided with as part of Bath Row Development’s green travel plan.   

“We are delighted to have reached agreement with Bath Row and to support a development that dovetails with our strategy,” said Niamh Lamond, the newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Tremough Campus Services Group (TCSG), the company that operates the flagship 100 acre campus on behalf of UCF and UoE.  “Working with a private sector developer and the local authorities to deliver the kind of accommodation that 21st century students want, and that eases the impact of the universities’ planned growth on houses of multiple occupancy in the traditional private rental sector is a positive step forward for our students as well as our wider community.  The fact that it will be professionally-managed by a company who have a wealth of experience in this area will also mean that any issues raised by local residents can be dealt with swiftly and effectively.”

“We are delighted to be working with Bath Row Developments and to have started work on this major new accommodation project at Penryn for the students of UCF and UoE,” added Kier Living’s Construction Manager, Paul Postlethwaite.  “The purpose-built apartments will provide some fantastic accommodation and we hope they will really enhance the university experience of the students lucky enough to live here when they start their courses in 2012.”

“This new development will offer students a campus experience off-campus, so will add to the range of accommodation that is available,” said incoming FXU Students’ Union President for the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus, Jonathan Harris. “Its proximity to Penryn’s main street should also benefit local businesses.”

The University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are founding partners in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique collaboration between six universities and colleges to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One and Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council.