Start of construction has been triggered by Uliving, Bouygues’ student accommodation brand, reaching financial close on a 50-year concession for the construction and operation of 1,262 student bedrooms.
Uliving is a joint venture between Linkcity UK (Bouygues' property development brand) and investors Equitix. It has already built 648 student rooms in 2013 for phase one and 643 for phase two in 2018, as well as taken over the running of 772 rooms already on the campus.
Construction of phase three is known as The Pastures. As before, it will be built by Bouygues UK and facilities management services will be carried out by Bouygues Energies & Services.
Completion of construction is scheduled for autumn 2023, for the start of the academic year.
Uliving chief executive Oliver Campbell said that the Bouygues companies planned to combine “our expertise to maximise the value and innovation we can bring to the scheme”.
Chris Oldham, director of estates and campus services at the University of Essex, said: “The Pastures will be a fabulous home to our students, with a range of accommodation types to meet a range of needs, and we’re looking forward to seeing work progress.”
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