A £33 million deluxe student residence being built on Sheffield’s Ecclesall Road has already attracted enquiries for over a quarter of its intake, eight months before opening.
Construction of the 14-storey LIVStudent building is on schedule for a September launch, and early interest for its 586 en-suite rooms have exceeded expectations.
Developers say it heralds a new era in university accommodation, where students live like hotel guests and enjoy a wide range of services and activities to make it feel like home. Should they wish, they can even get their laundry and cleaning done.
On the site of a former car showroom close to Waitrose, LIVStudent will feature spacious communal facilities including a Sky Garden, cinema and gym and a ninth– floor club lounge with feature balcony overlooking the city.
Students will be encouraged to share from the well-designed study, living and dining spaces, stylish kitchens and a café and take part in activities ranging from yoga to cooking classes and team events.
En-suite rooms, all with luxury double beds, start at £130 a week inclusive of bills and superfast, future-proofed Wi-Fi. Over a third are already under enquiry. Viewings are taking place at the marketing suite’s fully-equipped cluster kitchen and bedroom and a studio apartment. A percentage of enquiries are from people already studying in Sheffield, but others have come from as far away China, Germany, Spain and India.
Peter Haspel, managing director of European student accommodation specialist Valeo Management, LIVStudent’s parent company, commented: “Students have to spend a lot of money to get their education. We believe they focus better when they have home comforts and an aspirational environment around them.
“We are proud to be investing £33 million in Sheffield to increase and upgrade the accommodation offer to its 50,000 plus students.”
Sheffield is a friendly, safe, green and affordable place to live, which has two excellent universities. It is the ideal city to grow our innovative student accommodation brand.
“We are passionate about delivering exceptional, purpose-built student residences and a superior customer experience. We think like a hotel – our staff are primarily from the hospitality sector and are determined to give the same level of customer service. We believe this adds immense value to the higher education learning experience and encourages young people’s aspirations.”
LIVStudent commenced construction in Dublin in 2017 with a luxury 216-bed riverside residence. Completed in May 2018, all beds were filled for the September intake in 2018. Sheffield is its second site.
En-suite rooms are being created in 81 clusters of three to six bedrooms with fully-equipped dining kitchen-lounges in each. In addition, there will be 170 studio apartments.
Hi-tech features include an ultra-secure coded key entry system, high-definition Smart TVs and soundbars in every cluster kitchen-lounge. Every room will have super-fast Wi-Fi future-proofed to always deliver the fastest possible speed.
The project has already created five full-time and four part-time local jobs, with around four more to follow in the next nine months.
Seven retail units on the ground floor will be up for rent and developers expect the site to boost the retail and hospitality sector in Ecclesall Road, Sharrowvale and The Moor area of the city centre.
“LIVStudent is buying local at every possible opportunity. We are working with a growing number of city suppliers and our students will also have a wide choice of local branded retailers for their daily needs,”
“Our Ecclesall Road position is a great location, just a 10-minute walk to both universities and close to the road’s legendary social buzz”, said Peter Haspel.
Tim Harvey, regional director for main contractor ISG, concluded: “LIVSheffield is already a stylish addition to Ecclesall Road. The global popularity of the UK’s higher education institutions increases demand for high-quality student accommodation in our cities, and we are proud to be bringing Valeo’s LIVStudent vision to Sheffield.”
