191-bed student development to complete next year close to Edinburgh sporting venue

Work has begun on a £20 million student flat development close to Edinburgh’s landmark Meadowbank Stadium.

Student accommodation developer Alumno and Henderson Park, the private equity property firm, have commenced construction of the new purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme at Jock’s Lodge.

The 191-bed development will comprise a mix of “cluster apartments” with shared kitchens and self-contained studio apartments, as well as dedicated study and social spaces, landscaped external courtyard areas, rooftop winter gardens and a bespoke ground-floor café/restaurant fronting onto London Road.

A CGI showing what the new student development at Jock’s Lodge, Edinburgh, should look like when completed.

Developers said the project would further strengthen Edinburgh’s position as “one of Europe’s leading university destinations” while responding to the “high and unmet demand” for quality accommodation across Scotland’s key higher education hubs.

Works are expected to conclude in time for the 2027/28 academic year.

The project comes amid an ongoing boom in PBSA projects. A report last year hailed student flats as a “shining light” in Scotland’s commercial property market despite wider concerns over the fallout from a university and college funding crisis, the impact on future jobs from AI, and local worries about a lack of general housing.

David Campbell, chief executive of Alumno Group, said: “Breaking ground at Jock’s Lodge represents an important milestone for Alumno, as we continue delivering thoughtfully well designed student living environments across the UK’s university cities.

“Edinburgh and neighbouring Glasgow are two of the most dynamic student cities and we are excited to see this project and our Glasgow project start on site with [contractor] Clark Contracts and play a vital role in supporting the student population and enhancing local neighbourhoods.”

Mrinal Jalan, managing director at Henderson Park, added: “This is an important milestone not only for this development, but for our continued investment into the Scottish real estate market across a number of our high conviction sectors.

“This PBSA project stood out to us for its excellent micro location and the opportunity to work with best-in-class partners in Alumno and Clark Contracts to deliver a high quality, amenity-rich scheme that will meet the demands of increasingly discerning student occupiers.”

Student flats ‘shining light’ in Scotland’s property market but uni funding crisis casts a shadow