Birmingham student housing deal for Engie and Equitix

A consortium comprising Engie and infrastructure investor Equitix has secured a £125m contract with the University of Birmingham to expand its student accommodation provision.Engie and Equitix have a long-term deal to expand and renew the Pritchatts Park student accommodation village.The project involves the construction of 496 new student rooms and an accompanying 482-space multi-storey car park. In addition, the 734 existing rooms will be refurbished.Under the contract, valued at £125m when advertised last year, Engie will provide facilities management services for 50 years, providing ongoing repairs, security and cleaning.The new accommodation will be constructed in the form of townhouses designed by Glancy Nicholls to complement existing buildings in the area. The overall scheme will be powered and heated by electricity from renewable sources. The refurbished building will be heated by air source heat pumps.Building work is set to begin in the summer, with completion expected in August 2023.The arrangement follows similar developments for the University of Leicester and Kingston University. Equitix is the majority owner in the Pritchatts Park joint venture, with Engie and the University of Birmingham taking minority stakes.