New £45m student residences

Penglais Farm student residences

Balfour Beatty, the company responsible for the design and construction of the new £45m student residences at Aberystwyth University, has announced that the project has received the full backing of investors.

In a statement to the London Stock Exchange today, Monday 5 August, Balfour Beatty announced that it had reached financial close on two major UK developments; the £45m Aberystwyth University Penglais Farm New Student Residences and the University of Edinburgh’s £63 million Holyrood Postgraduate Student Accommodation and Outreach Centre.

In February Balfour Beatty was unveiled as Aberystwyth University’s preferred bidder for the development following a competitive dialogue process that saw it beat off competition from several other leading construction companies.

Monday’s announcement confirms Balfour Beatty as Aberystwyth University’s Residential Development Partner.

The Penglais Farm Student Residences will offer the very latest in purpose built student accommodation for 1000 students.

Individual rooms will be bigger than anything the University has offered before and the development includes 100 studio flats specifically designed for postgraduate students.

Located within easy walking distance to the University’s Penglais Campus, the new residences will offer plenty of space for living and studying and will be equipped with hard wired and Wi-Fi internet access.

Inspired by the landscape and architecture of rural Wales, the new development features a series of two and three storey buildings with flats for six or eight students living in self-catered accommodation.

A central hub will also provide a range of social, learning and living functions including launderettes, bike stores, communal space for clubs and societies, and computing facilities. There will also be a new grass sports pitch.

Take a tour

The first students are expected to move in for the beginning of the 2014 academic year and amongst the first to take up residence will be the community of students currently living in Pantycelyn.

Originally built in 1951, Pantycelyn opened as a hall for Welsh speaking students in 1973 and has attracted generations of young people wishing to study and live through the medium of Welsh.

In contrast to the current Pantycelyn, which has remained virtually unchanged from when it was opened over 60 years ago, the new Pantycelyn will offer so much more.

And the students have been part of the process of helping the University ensure that the new residences reflect their aspirations and the priorities of UMCA (the Welsh Students’ Union) and the Students’ Union so the entire development works to enhance the student living experience.

The University project team has been led by Mr James Wallace, Director of Campus Services. He said: “With this announcement today Balfour Beatty have underlined their full commitment to deliver the new student residences to the exceptionally high specifications that we have agreed as partners and in time for the 2014 academic year. It marks the latest milestone in the development of one of the most important new facilities to be built here at Aberystwyth for a generation.

“Aberystwyth University prides itself on its excellent student experience, and this exciting new addition will ensure that we have both increased numbers of en-suite facilities and studio flats to meet the wide range of expectations from our students, and all on a beautiful site within walking distance of our main campus”, he added.

Balfour Beatty CEO, Andrew McNaughton said; “We are delighted to be working with Aberystwyth University, the community and the local supply chain to deliver this project. The new facilities will enable the University to enhance the student experience, providing high quality, sustainable accommodation.”

Once operational, the University will provide student services in the new residences, whilst Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the upkeep of the buildings.

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