Investec Real Estate has provided a joint venture between Watkin Jones plc and Housing Growth Partnership, the Lloyds-backed equity investor, with a development loan to fund the construction of a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in Stratford, East London, with a GDV of £120 million ($158 million).
It takes Investec’s provision of PBSA finance since 2011 to more than £1.1 billion ($1.5 billion), in a highly defensive sector underpinned by compelling demographic trends and with a critical shortage of modern, well-connected and sustainable space. According to CBRE and QX Global, the gap between demand for PBSA and available supply in London, which has the highest density of leading universities of any global city, currently stands at 105,000 full-time students.
Targeting completion in time for the start of the 2026–2027 academic year, the development will comprise 397 rooms and circa 2,000 square meters (21,500 square feet) of commercial space. It i
