Pritchatts Park Residential Project

The University of Birmingham has entered a long-term partnership with Equitix and EQUANS to deliver world-class facilities at Pritchatts Park Student Village.

The redevelopment of Pritchatts Park, which gives students quick and easy access to the heart of campus, plays an integral role in helping the University to achieve this goal. EQUANS, alongside their equity partner Equitix, are transforming Pritchatts Park into a state-of-the-art, low-carbon accommodation in collaboration with the University of Birmingham. Equitix and EQUANS have now successfully reached financial close, marking the official start of the development.

To enhance the student and staff on-campus experience, the project will see some existing accommodation refurbished and 496 new, high-quality student homes built, along with a multi-storey car park.

Pritchatts Park Residence Project is the University’s first ever low-carbon accommodation, giving students some of the best living spaces possible.

This transaction represents an opportunity for Equitix and EQUANS to expand their student accommodation portfolio with the highly ranked Russell Group University alongside highly experienced development partners.

Simon Bray, Director of Campus Services at the University of Birmingham, said: “Outstanding global education is at the core of our mission; the University is passionate about investing in high-quality, affordable accommodation for our students to enhance their on-campus experience while they study with us. We look forward to working with Equitix and EQUANS.”

Hugh Crossley, Chief Executive for Equitix, said: “We are delighted to work with University of Birmingham and be part of their continued growth and success and are pleased to extend our strong track record in developing and operating outstanding accommodation that exceeds residents’ expectations.”

Jake Fellows, Regional Operations Director at EQUANS, said: “EQUANS has a multifaceted offer which spans construction, regeneration, energy and zero carbon technologies; so, we are perfectly placed to bring the University of Birmingham’s vision for a low-carbon, high quality student campus to life.

“We are delighted to have reached financial close on this hugely significant project as the year draws to a close. Every partner involved in this deal is passionate about its success and our respective equity stakes in the scheme, speak to this.”

Equitix and EQUANS will build the accommodation, to be delivered by September 2024. The project, which has had extensive design input from student representatives, will also see improvements to students’ social spaces and increase the number of rooms available for those with accessibility requirements. Pritchatts House and the new build townhouses have been designed to support an energy efficient construction and operation criteria, aligning with Equitix’s, EQUANS’s and University of Birmingham’s long term sustainable investment strategy.

For anyone who was unable to attend the planning consultation webinar for Pritchatts House, the presentation is now available to view online.

You can view the document here, and provide comments via this form

As you may be aware, the University received planning permission for the erection of new student accommodation, multi-storey car park and associated works (application number 2019/05598/PA) in December 2019 on the Pritchatts Park site.

I am pleased to say a development partner has now been selected, a consortium of Equitix and ENGIE, to implement the project and to also operate and maintain all accommodation at Pritchatts Park Village.

Over the course of the next two months, the University, Equitix and ENGIE will be setting out further details of the proposed plans and programme for the development for the site, and inviting our neighbours to comment, feedback and ask questions. This will be done in a number of ways, including letters to your property, a website and opportunities to discuss the project with key team members, either in person or online (COVID-19 dependent).

As preparation for the forthcoming works, ENGIE is to commence site surveys shortly, some of which are intrusive, across the Pritchatts Park Village site, along with surveys to the existing accommodation. These will take place over the next two months. As with the overall project, every effort will be made to minimise noise and disruption during these activities, with these works planned to be limited in scope.

Should you have any queries or concerns please do contact either ENGIE or the University directly using the following contact details:

Tim Owen

c/o pritchattsparkreception@contacts.bham.ac.uk

0121 414 9022

Martin Johnson

martin.johnson@engie.com

07966287981

As part of its ongoing investment, The University of Birmingham is developing proposals for the refurbishment of Pritchatts House and the Hub, in order to provide better-quality student accommodation.

Pritchatts House is no longer fit-for-purpose as modern student accommodation and is in need of significant investment. The plans for Pritchatts House and the Hub will enable all bedrooms to become en-suite and create a range of spaces for studying and socialising, to support students and their overall wellbeing. There will be no increase in bedroom numbers and the number of students living at Pritchatts House will remain the same.

This application forms part of the University of Birmingham’s masterplan for the overall site, with the primary objective of delivering an improved outcome for our students. The proposed changes are primarily internal, with only minor external alterations also being sought.

We are committed to working closely with the local community to ensure that our proposals are sensitive to the local area, while delivering an improved experience for our students in a more attractive and highly sustainable building, with all electricity sourced from 100% renewable sources.

To find out more about our proposals, you can:

• provide comments via this form
• visit Pritchatts Park Village, where plans are visible in the windows of The Study Zone at Pritchatts House Extension from 15th March to 26th March 2021.
• register to attend our webinar, which will take place via Zoom on Monday 22nd March at 5.30pm. To register, please email pritchattshouse@kandaconsulting.co.uk by 19th March 2021.

You can also view the exhibition boards online here, as well as a copy of our newsletter here.