The number of students in Bristol has grown by more than 54% since 2012, leaving over 31,700 unable to access purpose-built accommodation
18:27, 16 May 2026Updated 18:27, 16 May 2026
An artists impression of the student accommodation development on ‘Freestone Island’, near the Dings in St Philips(Image: CBRE)
Bristol continues to face a shortage of more than 30,000 purpose-built student accommodation places — despite an extensive programme of construction across the city. That’s according to property experts who have identified what they term ‘an estimated unmet demand’ — a deficit of more than 31,700 students unable to secure what is known as PBSA (purpose-built student accommodation).
This week, officials at commercial real estate firm CBRE stated that the substantial growth of both the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England has left the city still struggling to house them, with PBSA developments unable to keep pace with demand.
CBRE is currently marketing a new site at the centre of a rapidly-evolving part of Bristol around The Dings in St Philips, where the University of Bristol will launch a new campus this September. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter
Proposals for another student accommodation development, this one providing space for 494 students across three tall tower blocks, have already secured approval from councillors. The site has been cleared on what is being termed Freestone Island — just south of the railway line between Gas Lane and Kingsland Road, near The Dings in St Philips — and is now on the market for purchase by a PBSA developer.
The site forms part of the broader Temple Quarter regeneration scheme, which will see thousands of students living and studying at the new University of Bristol campus on the opposite side of the Floating Harbour beside Temple Meads station, reports Bristol Live.
Approval was secured for three residential blocks capable of accommodating 494 students, alongside a gym, studio, cinema, communal lounges, four external courtyards and even a karaoke booth. An amendment to the proposal could potentially increase capacity to 518 students.
Illustration of the proposed new taller building from Bond Street, opposite Cabot Circus – plans for new student flats next to Cabot Circus car park(Image: AHMM)
However, the site has now been put up for sale and is being marketed by CBRE.
“It’s extremely rare to be able to offer such a well-located, consented PBSA opportunity that is immediately ready to commence construction in Bristol,” said Nic Rumble, a senior director at CBRE.
“The demolition has been completed, the site is remediated, Gateway 2 approved, and even part of the CIL payments have been paid. This is as build-ready as you can get. Couple that with a super-prime location directly opposite a brand new university campus, in the middle of the UK’s largest regeneration project, and you have a site that we hope will be of interest to the development markets.
Prof Evelyn Welch at the site of the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter campus(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“The structural demand for student accommodation in Bristol is not going away; this is a rare opportunity to step straight into it,” he added.
CBRE has indicated that the surge in student accommodation shows no signs of slowing, given the significant shortfall of PBSAs across Bristol. “Bristol is the sixth largest higher education market in the UK outside London, with a combined full-time student population of 58,190 across the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England, a figure that has grown by more than 54% since 2012,” a spokesperson for the firm stated.
“Despite this, the city has only 21,250 purpose-built student beds in operation, leaving an estimated unmet demand of more than 31,700 students who cannot access PBSA due to a lack of supply,” they added.
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