Member Article

Five star accommodation for Tyne students

Students coming to study in Newcastle this autumn could be living in style, in accommodation created by the same company that is behind the Hadrian’s Tower skyscraper.

The High Street Group of Companies – which is developing the city’s tallest building as high quality apartments to rent – has also refurbished former offices in North Street East to create well appointed student digs.

In a £2.5 million project, Northumbria University’s former Estates Department – which has stood empty for the past two years - has been bought and converted into 46 studio apartments, known as Student 52.

Just a few minutes’ walk from the metro and bus stations and close to both Northumbria and Newcastle Universities, the building is in an ideal location for student accommodation.

Kirk Thompson, Managing Director with All Saints Construction, the division of The High Street Group of Companies which carried out the conversion, said: “This is our first venture in providing student accommodation but our expertise in creating attractive modern apartments in city centres across the UK is perfectly transferable for this type of project.”

As well as the 162 apartments in the 27 storey Hadrian’s Tower, in Rutherford Street, the group is also proposing to develop 224 more at Pottery Lane, located between the River Tyne and the Metro Radio Arena and 250 on the site of the Brett Oils Depot on the Gateshead side of the river.

In total, plans a string of similar PRS initiatives in major UK cities with a gross development value (GDV) of over £1bn and would create more than 3,000 apartments for private rent. So far, details of schemes in Birmingham (four), Gateshead, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle (two), Salford and Warrington have been released.

In addition, the business is building new homes for sale in the North of England and Scotland and establishing a chain of hotels, restaurants and sports bars.

With its headquarters in Stockbridge House, Newcastle, The High Street Group of Companies was established by Gary Forrest in 2006. It has grown to become a leading financial and property group employing over 300 people in activities including large scale property development and construction, hospitality and leisure.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .