Alumno and Henderson Park break ground on new PBSA residence in Edinburgh

Student accommodation developer, Alumno and Henderson Park, an international private equity real estate firm, have commenced construction of a new, £20 million purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) residence at Jock’s Lodge in Edinburgh.

The accommodation will comprise a mix of cluster apartments with shared kitchens and self contained studio apartments, as well as dedicated study and social spaces, landscaped external courtyard areas, rooftop winter gardens offering panoramic views across the city and a bespoke ground-floor café/restaurant fronting London Road. The 191-bed development is located in the Meadowbank and Jock’s Lodge neighbourhood, under two miles from the world-renowned University of Edinburgh and within easy reach of the city’s other academic institutions.

The project is set to further strengthen Edinburgh’s position as one of Europe’s leading university destinations while responding to the high and unmet demand for high-quality PBSA across Scotland’s key higher education hubs.

Alumno, now operating for over two decades, has built a reputation as one of the UK’s most experienced and design-led PBSA developers, known for an innovative approach that goes beyond accommodation to create lasting places. The Edinburgh development continues their ongoing investment in leading academic destinations, where demand for high-quality student accommodation remains resilient and strong.

David Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of Alumno Group, said: “Breaking ground at Jock’s Lodge represents an important milestone for Alumno, as we continue delivering thoughtfully well designed student living environments across the UK’s university cities. Edinburgh and neighbouring Glasgow are two of the most dynamic student cities and we are excited to see this project and our Glasgow project start on site with Clarks and play a vital role in supporting the student population and
enhancing local neighbourhoods.”

Mrinal Jalan, Managing Director at Henderson Park, commented: “This is an important milestone not only for this development, but for our continued investment into the Scottish real estate market across a number of our high conviction sectors. This PBSA project stood out to us for its excellent micro location and the opportunity work with best-in-class partners in Alumno and Clark Contracts to deliver a high quality, amenity-rich scheme that will meet the demands of increasingly discerning
student occupiers.”

A ground breaking event took place on 5th March to mark the official start of works, which was attended by key representatives from Alumno, the project partners, members of the design team and the contractor, Clark Contracts.