Accommodation provider Student Roost unveils its first property in Brighton, Hillfort House. The purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme can house 380 students, and is placed for universities in the city of Brighton & Hove. It’s situated on Moulsecoomb Way, a short walk from the University of Sussex’s Moulsecoomb campus and close to local transport links for students at the University of Brighton.
Hillfort House was developed by McLaren Property as part of a land assembly that replaced a waste transfer facility with student homes. The brick building opened last month, with the first students moving in on 16 July.
“We were delighted to welcome our first residents at Hillfort House last month. The building looks absolutely stunning, and we’ve already been getting some wonderful feedback from residents. Hillfort House has been designed with the students of Brighton in mind, with outstanding facilities and comfortable rooms and studios.
“While we’re an experienced and trusted provider, this is a new market for us. We’re grateful to our partners at McLaren Property and HG Construction who’ve helped us create the most amazing new home for 380 students.”
Nathan Goddard, CEO, Student Roost
Hillfort House offers a range of en-suite rooms in cluster flats, as well as private studios. Students will benefit from all-inclusive rent, so they won’t be faced with rising energy or broadband prices this winter.
In addition to a free-of-charge gym, communal facilities include a student lounge, a TV and gaming room and a study space. The property has a hosting kitchen/diner, which can be booked by students for dinner parties and other celebrations. In other Student Roost properties, these kitchens have been used for collaborations with local businesses to run free cooking classes for residents.
The Hillfort House development has also been built with consideration to environmental standards, and has been independently rated as BREEAM Excellent. The building includes photovoltaic panels, cycle storage facilities, chalk grassland green roofs, and motion-controlled lighting sensors. It also has charging points for electric vehicles, although most residents are encouraged to use local transport networks.
“We are delighted to successfully hand over this exciting new development to our partners at Student Roost. We thank the design teams involved, including the team at HG Construction, who have helped deliver on the original vision of high-quality student homes, flexible employment space and a new, fit-for-purpose community facility for the people of Moulsecoomb. It’s fantastic to see this development come to fruition and play its part in contributing positively to the local economy.”
David Atherton, Development Director, McLaren Property
Hillfort House marks Student Roost’s first property in Brighton, but the Birmingham-based company already runs 58 properties across the UK – including in London, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Bath. 23,000 students across the UK live in Student Roost accommodation during term time.
Hillfort House is one of four new Student Roost properties to open in 2022/23. Ahead of this academic year, the company will also be opening new properties in Nottingham and York, and its first co-living development in Bristol. It will also be adding a further 680 beds to The Oaks in Coventry, near to the University of Warwick.
