London has experienced a surge of student planning approvals in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, proving cause for optimism, a report from planning and development consultancy Lichfields has found.<\/p>\n
The purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) rooms in the pipeline are equivalent to 10,500 conventional homes \u2013 which should ease the burden on London\u2019s rental market.<\/p>\n
The capital has approved more than 26,000 student bedrooms since 2021.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Hoban, associate director in Lichfields\u2019 London office, said: \u201cPurpose-built student accommodation plays a critical role in meeting housing need and supporting London\u2019s global education offer. The research identifies a healthy pipeline of schemes with approval which should translate into deliveries.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst the poor backdrop for conventional housing in London, the provision of PBSA not only ensures London remains a leading destination for higher education but it could help deliver more affordable homes. It could be a win-win situation for London.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Lichfield praised the Greater London Authority\u2019s broad policy support for PBSA, as there is no set design-led planning framework and preferred locations vary between developers and operators.<\/p>\n
The study concluded that the current momentum needs to be maintained in the 2027 London Plan.<\/p>\n
Hoban added: \u201cThis is a real opportunity to bring forward the delivery of much-needed homes across the capital.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy maintaining a flexible approach in the next London Plan and continuing to champion well-designed PBSA, we can ensure more schemes continue to come forward, helping to meet both student demand and the wider housing needs of London.\u201d<\/p>\n
Permissions for conventional housing in London stand at a 10-year low.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
London has experienced a surge of student planning approvals in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, proving cause for optimism, a report from planning and development consultancy Lichfields has found. The purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) rooms in the pipeline are equivalent to 10,500 conventional homes \u2013 which should ease the burden on London\u2019s rental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2790,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\n