Student Accommodation News (26/10/11)

Here you can find the latest UK student accommodation news headlines for the week ending the 26th October 2011:

Huge New Student Accommodation in London Scheme

20th October 2011: Construction on a huge new development of student accommodation in London is set to get under way this month. The tallest building at the Kings Cross site in Central London is a £40 million, 27-storey tower developed by constructors Mansell.

This tower alone will provide 657 student bedrooms, many of which will provide accommodation for international students. As well as the bedrooms, there will be large areas devoted to common rooms for students from various top London universities.

It is hoped that the development will be ready to open in time for the 2013/14 academic year and is expected to be very popular among international students studying at colleges in London and on English courses in London.

New Student Housing Rules in Southampton

24th October 2011: New rules in Southampton have been approved that will stop large areas of the city from becoming overrun by student accommodation. Recently locals have objected to the rise in the number of shared houses being created that are popular with students, but can lead to an increase in noise and littering.

The new rules will meant that landlords will require planning permission to convert a house that has between three and six independent inhabitants. However, landlords have warned that this could push the rent up for students in Southampton, which has one of the top universities in the UK.

Indeed, Southampton University's (an institution often near the top in UK university ranking tables) Students' Union, has argued that there has been little thought for the students. Shared housing is very popular among UK students, though international student accommodation tends to veer more towards larger halls.

Similar new rules have been introduced in a number of cities throughout the UK, and have put a particular strain on Manchester student homes.