6000morebedsplanned for students in Glasgow
NEW student accommodation schemes which will provide almost 6000 more beds are in the pipeline for the city.
They are mainly planned for the city centre around Strathclyde University and the City of Glasgow College’s city centre campus.
Late last year, estate agents Savills carried out research into student accommodation with the aim of understanding current supply and demand and the impact on local communities.
Currently there are more than 120,000 students in the city and 67 purpose-built university operated and private student accommodation schemes with 17,888 beds.
The majority of students are from the UK but the number of European and international students has been increasing in recent years and now account for more than 20% of the total number.
While there has been a decline in demand from domestic students, this has been offset by a significant increase in demand from Europe and China with an increase in numbers expected from the Middle East and Africa in the coming years.
A report to city councillors says: “The city’s reputation and status is substantially reinforced by the scale and quality of further education on offer.
“Increasing Glasgow’s national and international profile attracts inward investment, which in turn supports the city’s ability to attract and retain graduates in the city increasing the skilled workforce for the future.
“The graduate retention rate of 46% places the city within the top five in the UK and ensures the city economy has a skilled workforce.
“It is the attractiveness of Glasgow as a place to study, work and live which drives this figure and the quality of student accommodation plays a significant part in this.”
The report says the student accommodation market is changing due to demands from students, groups lobbying against houses in multiple occupation and competition between organisations providing accommodation.
It adds: “It is recognised purpose-student accommodation schemes are increasingly identified as a preferred model for student accommodation.
“These schemes can help to boost the property market in cities and bring both vibrancy and increased spend for retail and leisure uses, which in turn provides economic benefits.
“However, they have also been criticised as being isolated student enclaves that prevent the interaction of students within the local communities and negatively impact on the experience of local residents.”