Fresh from receiving Gateway 2 approval, main contractor GMI Construction Group has commenced building Alumno and Invesco Real Estate’s 261-bed residential block off Moss Lane East.
The group hopes to complete the student accommodation development ahead of the 2027 academic year intake. The project has a £29m construction cost and sits overlooking Whitworth Park – within easy walking distance of both Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester campus.
Planning permission for the scheme was secured in 2023 by Cityside and Alumno, with Cityside exiting the project last year. It was at that time that Invesco came on board as the owner of the development site, with Alumno charged with its delivery.
The nine-storey residential block will comprise 207 cluster bedrooms and 54 studios across 50,000 sq ft. An adjacent, listed Georgian villa will become an amenity hub, with private study areas, collaboration spaces, a cinema, a gym, a wellbeing room, and lounges for residents to take advantage of.
Stallan Brand Architects has led on the design, picking up from the original drawings by Carson Sall.
Alumno is targeting an EPC rating of A and a BREEAM score of Excellent for the project, which is the company’s 22nd student residential scheme since its founding in 2006.
Alumno managing director David Campbell said: “Our development will improve the local area through sensitive and coherent design and planning, as well as providing an economic boost to local businesses, delivering much-needed, good-quality accommodation for Manchester’s student population, which includes an element of rooms set at affordable rents.”
He continued: “As with all our developments, we have worked closely with stakeholders and the community, to ensure the scheme enhances this vibrant neighbourhood. This will help with the recognised undersupply and demand for student housing in Manchester, for the ever-evolving and growing student population and their needs.”
GMI’s North West regional director, Anthony Judge, added: “We’ve built a strong and trusted relationship with Alumno over several years, and each project we deliver reinforces our shared commitment to quality, innovation, and creating outstanding spaces for students.
“We have now successfully navigated the Gateway 2 process on two schemes and are one of a handful of contractor’s to have completed the Gateway 3 process which underlines our expertise in design and build compliance regarding high-risk buildings’.
Alongside GMI, the project team includes project manager and cost manager AECOM, Building Safety Act expert Safer Sphere, fire engineer Jensen Hughes, planner Turley, mechanical and electrical engineer Futureserv, structural engineer Will Rudd, BREEAM consultant Ridge, landscape architect Oobe, and acoustic consultant Sound Advice Acoustics.
You can see the original planning application by searching reference numbers 135544/FO/2022 and 135545/LO/2022 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.