Manchester is well-known as a hotspot for students due to the array of educational facilities in the city. With a thriving student population of up to 100,000 people comes the continuous need for student accommodation, and plans have now been submitted for a brand new 2,500-home student tower in Manchester to help meet this demand.
The proposal has been submitted by IQ Student Accommodation, a UK-based provider of student housing with buildings across major cities such as Manchester, London, and Edinburgh. This means that this proposal would build upon the developer’s existing presence in the city.
The plans, designed by architectural firm SimpsonHaugh, outline a high-rise design across four blocks that would include a 50-storey tower to make up the 2,500 capacity. The proposed structure would be located in the very central Charles Street, close to Manchester’s Oxford Road station, which already has a robust student accommodation presence, making it the perfect location for students to live in the heart of the city centre.
The plans for the buildings also outline amenities for residents including study spaces, lounge and dining spaces, a gym, and more to facilitate a thriving student life experience, making up 0.8 acres of planned landscaped public realm space.
If approved, the proposed building would replace an existing student accommodation structure that can accommodate 528 as well as a 118-room hotel, meaning the space facilitated on this site would grow exponentially. This could mean great things for architecture jobs in Manchester with the execution of this project and property jobs in Manchester upon the scheme’s completion too.
If approved, the plans would be completed in two phases, with two blocks including the proposed 50-storey structure being done in the first phase and the remaining elements of the design including 24- and 33-storey structures respectively in the second half of the development.
IQ Student Accommodation Chief Development Officer, Matthew Loughlin, states that ‘as Manchester’s higher education scene continues to thrive and student numbers grow, we are pleased to be bringing forward our proposals to deliver much needed, high-quality and well-located accommodation for this vibrant city.’
IQ Student Accommodations already oversees 3,600 beds across 10 sites in Manchester, meaning they have a robust presence in the city, but if this project is approved it would see a massive jump in their scope, taking them to over 6,000 beds.
Manchester’s student population continues to grow, and therefore high-quality accommodation opportunities also need to match this level of growth. It will be interesting to see how the plans are received and if they are given the greenlight for development as we move into 2026.
