DFT roundtable

DFT roundtable: Reliable lenders, changing student demands and planning benefits in the PBSA market



Development Finance Today has launched its third filmed roundtable session, which discusses the rise of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) in the development sector.


The DFT roundtable video can be viewed in full on the recently refreshed DFT Roundtables page.

The event — which took place on Friday 26th July at Watson Farley & Williams’ offices in London and chaired by DFT editor Beth Fisher — was supported by Aldermore.

Simon Knowles, head of property development at Aldermore, explained why there was more demand for PBSA and whether affordable stock could be achieved without putting too much pressure on margins in the current economic climate.

Simon Knowles, head of property development at Aldermore
Simon Knowles, head of property development at Aldermore

Two developers and one broker were also in attendance to offer their opinions and experiences in this particular market: Chris Whitney, head of specialist lending at Enness Private Clients; Tarek Jumah, associate director at Future Generation; and Anthony Laville, founder and CEO at Volume.Property. 

Ranjeev Kumar, partner at Watson Farley & Williams, gave a legal perspective on why planning authorities were taking a sympathetic view to planning applications for PBSA schemes and how modular construction methods could help schemes hit the integral September student market.

 
Ranjeev Kumar, partner at Watson Farley & Williams
Ranjeev Kumar, partner at Watson Farley & Williams

The conversation also took a deep dive into how important it was for brokers to be involved in this type of deal, how developers could cater for ongoing student demand and the benefits, operationally, of housing students in one scheme rather than numerous HMOs. 

The video can be viewed in full on the DFT Roundtables page.



Leave a comment