News / Unite
500-bed student digs to face significant delays
A student housing development near Bristol Temple Meads, consisting of 500 beds, has been delayed at least until 2027 due to delays in securing the necessary approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Unite Students, the developer behind the project, revealed the delay in its year-end financial results.
Freestone Island, near Bristol University’s £300m Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which was originally projected for completion in time for the 2026/2027 academic year, will now be finished a year later, in 2027.
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According to Unite, these delays forms part of a wider trend in the student accommodation sector, where some projects are facing significant postponements—sometimes stretching up to a full year—due to the rigorous approval processes associated with the Building Safety Act (BSA).
Joe Lister, chief executive at Unite, said: “New supply of purpose-built student accommodation is also down 60 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, reflecting viability challenges created by higher costs of construction and funding as well as planning backlogs and time required to secure BSA approvals.”
“Planning timescales remain protracted due to limited planning resource for local authorities, resulting in longer delivery programmes which challenge viability.”
With the new regulations in place, student accommodation buildings that scale 18 metres or seven storeys must pass through three stages of safety approval, known as Gateways.
Freestone Island is nestled between the railway line to the north, Kingsland Road to the east and Gas Lane to the south
Developers are now regularly facing longer wait times for safety sign-offs, which is causing disruption to construction schedules.
Unite Students highlighted that approval under the BSA is adding around six months to development timelines.
The prolonged approval process has had a knock-on effect on the supply of student accommodation, with the company reporting a constricted output of just 11,000 new beds in the year.
The £73m development, nestled between the railway line, Gas Street, and Kingsland Road, will not finish in time for the intake of the 2026/2027 academic year due to delays in obtaining Gateway 2 safety sign-off.
Despite these challenges, the Bristol-headquartered Unite Students has reported healthy growth figures. The company saw an 8 per cent increase in turnover, rising from £276.1m to £299.3m, and a substantial surge in pre-tax profit, which skyrocketed from £102.5m to £444m.
All photos: Unite Students
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