Unite Group lands University of Leeds accommodation deal

Unite Group on Wednesday signed a 30-year nominations agreement with the University of Leeds that covers 559 of the 976 beds in its new White Rose View student accommodation.

White Rose View, which includes a podium car park and a Wetherspoons pub at ground level, will open in time for the 2020/21 academic year and is located in Leeds city centre, near to the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University.

The FTSE 250 private student halls provider said it had worked in partnership with the university in order to support the scheme through its planning and development stages.

Richard Smith, chief executive of Unite Students, said: "The University of Leeds is a highly valued partner of Unite with our relationship dating back more than 15 years. This latest partnership agreement supports our focus on the quality and security of our income, by aligning with mid and high-tariff Universities where there is strong demand for affordable, high-quality student accommodation."

Smith said Unite will continue to target one to two new university partnership deals per year, with the development pipeline expected to deliver 5,000 more beds over the next three years.

Currently, the company provides homes for more than 50,000 students in around 130 properties across 22 university towns and cities in England and Scotland.