Nido prepares for September opening
The student living operator, selected by HIG and Primus to run the 400-bed Fabric Works in Leeds, has launched the scheme ahead of the next academic year.
Nido Living was appointed in autumn 2023 to help launch and operate the Leylands Road development. Nido has more than 17 years’ experience designing, delivering and managing PBSA, working in the sector since Blackstone developed its first high-end PBSA projects in 2007.
Designed by Tim Groom Architects, and developed by CODU in partnership with Primus, the Fabric Works takes its inspiration from Leeds’ famed arcades built between 1878 and 1897, including Thornton Arcade, Queen’s Arcade, and County Arcade, Nido said.
Features include outdoor and indoor social areas, linkage to the Leeds PIPES heat network. And amenities including a games room, private dining room, co-working and study spaces, a cinema room, a gym, a yoga and fitness studio, and private gardens.
Darren Gardner, chief operating officer of Nido Living, said: “The UK student accommodation market continues to be hugely undersupplied, with an acute lack of the type of professionally managed and design-oriented homes that residents demand. Leeds has long been a favourite of UK and international students, and this continues to be the case.
Nido is now owned by CPP Investments. Credit: via Calvermont
“While there are schemes already in the city, we are confident The Fabric Works is unique and will set a new bar for aspirational student living offering the best accommodation and amenities, with an added focus on both wellbeing and sustainability.
“In addition, with a new stable UK government and as immigration policy becomes clearer, we expect the numbers of international students to rise again with Leeds one of the cities on their radar thanks to its vibrant lifestyle, its top 100 ranking and being part of the prestigious Russell Group.”
Nido Living is also appointed on another scheme by HIG and Primus, a 380-bed PBSA development, The Sail Yard & The Sail Works, in Lancaster. Both schemes are funded by Maslow Capital in a £68m package.
Duncan Melville, director at Primus Property Group, said that Nido has “raised the bar in student accommodation management and experience”.
He continued: “Early engagement with Nido in the development of the schemes has helped us integrate both technology and sustainable design in a way that delivers a positive impact for the students who will be living in our buildings.”
Nido was acquired last year by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, opening a new HQ in Amsterdam. The business has thus far developed and managed more than 18,000 student accommodation and co-living beds in the UK and Europe.
