Member Article

Omnia steps in to ease Swansea student accommodation crisis

SHEFFIELD’S Omnia Property Group has come to the rescue of more than 200 students who were found themselves homeless as their autumn term was about to begin in Swansea.

Accommodation projects which were scheduled for completion in time for Swansea’s annual student influx fell behind schedule, leaving many young people wondering where they would be living.

But Omnia was able to step in and offer places at its latest development, the newly refurbished Oldway Centre, which is located close to the university campus and Swansea city centre as well many local attractions such as the city’s celebrated Castle.

The property which has many great features - including a games room, a cinema room and 24-hour reception service - welcomed its first residents for the start of the autumn term, reporting high levels of occupancy in the development.

And when the Omnia team heard that many other students were struggling to find living space, they pressed ahead with plans to open a further floor ahead of schedule, making a further 200 plus units available.

The Oldway Centre is now home to more than 440 students, with a capacity for more than 550 when the site is completely finished by the start of 2020.

The Oldway Centre marks a new era of growth for Omnia, enabling the development of further business opportunities in Wales and supporting the company - made up of Omnia Space, Omnia Offices and Omnia Estates - as it continues its national expansion.

The company’s current portfolio includes the management of 1,000,000 square feet of office space, 1500 residential properties and student beds across the UK and more than 1,800 block management units - more than £654,000,000 worth of property in total.

“The student market is one of our main areas of business and when we heard that so many young people were struggling to find accommodation in Swansea we were determined to do everything we could to help them,” said Omnia Operations Director Amy Ryan.

“We were aware of several project in the UK that were not ready for the new term and we were pleased that In Swansea at least we were able to step up and provide a positive solution.

“Our contractors WRW Construction pulled out all the stops to deliver the extra floors at the Oldway Centre in time to ensure accommodation for everybody who needed it.

“Now that the site is almost fully operational we look forward to seeing what the new year brings and we look forward to welcoming back the students who have already discovered Omnia’s outstanding levels of care and comfort.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Highfield .