Watkin Jones, the UK's leading developer and manager of residential for rent, is pleased to announce the topping out of Skywalks at Freestone Road, a 204-bed purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development in Bristol, marking a significant milestone in the delivery of the scheme.
The development is being delivered for a joint venture between Moorfield Group and Tiger Developments, with Watkin Jones appointed as delivery partner. Skywalks will provide high-quality student accommodation directly opposite the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
Once complete, the scheme will offer a mix of ensuite cluster apartments and self-contained studios across four interconnected buildings, helping to meet growing demand for high-quality student accommodation in one of the UK’s most undersupplied university cities. It will be managed by Host Students, Tiger Developments’ operational business.
Located within Bristol's Temple Quarter regeneration area, the development will contribute to the wider transformation of the city, creating new student homes and supporting one of the UK's urban regeneration programmes.
Designed with sustainability in mind, EPC A and BREEAM Excellent ratings are being targeted. The development will also incorporate a range of low-carbon features, including rooftop photovoltaic panels and a connection to Bristol's district heating network.
The topping out milestone was marked by representatives from Watkin Jones, Moorfield Group, Tiger Developments and key project partners coming together on site to celebrate progress and recognise the contribution of everyone involved in bringing the development forward.
Gwyn Pritchard, Managing Director, Watkin Jones, said:
"Topping out at Freestone Road is an important milestone for the project and a testament to the collaborative effort of the wider team. We're proud of the progress made to date and look forward to bringing this high-quality and much needed PBSA development in Bristol to completion."
Hugh Canham, Head of Asset Management, Moorfield Group, said:
“Bristol already faces a shortage of student accommodation and the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter campus makes this an especially important location for new student homes. Skywalks at Freestone Road reflects our strategy of investing in high-quality accommodation in cities where demand significantly exceeds supply, working in partnership with experienced development and operating partners.
“Topping out brings us a step closer to delivering 204 student beds directly opposite the new campus, supporting both the University’s growth and the wider regeneration of Temple Quarter. We thank the Watkin Jones team and our partners at Tiger Developments for their work in reaching this milestone.”
John Nesbitt, Managing Director of Tiger Developments commented:
“Reaching topping out is an important milestone for Freestone Road and reflects the strong progress being made across the scheme. This is a development we have been closely involved with from an early stage, and it is particularly pleasing to see the original vision now taking shape on site.
“With its location directly opposite the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter campus, we believe the scheme is extremely well placed to provide high-quality, sustainable student accommodation in an area undergoing significant regeneration. We look forward to continuing to work with our JV partners Moorfield, contractor Watkin Jones and the wider project team as we move towards completion.”
Notes for Editors
About Watkin Jones
Watkin Jones is the UK's leading developer and manager of residential for rent, with a focus on the build to rent, student accommodation and affordable housing sectors. The Group has strong relationships with institutional investors, and a reputation for successful, on-time-delivery of high-quality developments. Since 1999, Watkin Jones has delivered 48,000 student beds across 143 sites, making it a key player and leader in the UK purpose-built student accommodation market, and is increasingly expanding its operations into the build to rent sector.
In addition, Fresh, the Group's specialist accommodation management business, manages over 21,000 student beds and build to rent apartments on behalf of its institutional clients. Watkin Jones has also been responsible for over 80 residential developments, ranging from starter homes to executive housing and apartments.
The Group's competitive advantage lies in its experienced management team and capital-light business model, which enables it to offer an end-to-end solution for investors, delivered entirely in-house with minimal reliance on third parties, across the entire life cycle of an asset.
Watkin Jones was admitted to trading on AIM in March 2016 with the ticker WJG.L. For additional information please visit www.watkinjonesplc.com
About Moorfield Group
Moorfield Group (‘Moorfield’) is a long-established UK-focused real estate fund manager with a proven track record of thematic sector selection and enhanced value creation.
Established in 1996 to be the investment, asset and operational partner of choice for global investors looking to invest in UK real estate, Moorfield has invested some £5bn into disrupted mainstream sectors and emerging alternative sectors, enabling the manager to deliver outperformance for its global investor base.
For more information, please visit www.moorfield.com or contact Moorfield’s communications advisers Lauder Teacher via alex@lauderteacher.com.
About Tiger Developments
Tiger Developments is a UK property developer and investor specialising in purpose-built student accommodation, co-living and other operational residential real estate. Since its inception, Tiger has delivered over 15,000 beds. Working alongside institutional capital partners, it leads schemes through the full development cycle, from site acquisition and planning through to construction, mobilisation and opening.
For more information, please contact Tiger’s communications advisers, The Oracle Group: Viv Onslow (viv@theoraclegroup.co.uk) or Emma Holden (emmah@theoraclegroup.co.uk).
About Host
Host is one of the UK’s largest operators of student accommodation, managing schemes on behalf of developers, investors and owners. Host will operate Skywalks upon completion of the project.
About O’Flynn
https://www.oflynngroup.com/