News

Turley secures green light for student village in Titanic Quarter

Titanic Quarter Student Village has received planning approval by members of Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee following a recommendation to approve from council planners.

On behalf of Watkin Jones and Lacuna Developments, we provided expert Planning, Heritage & Townscape and Strategic Communications services for the proposal, which will help to meet the growing demand for high-quality managed student accommodation, in the heart of Belfast’s Innovation District.

Located on the Titanic Quarter estate, one of Europe’s largest waterfront regeneration projects and in close proximity to Queens University’s Institute for Electronics, Communications and Information Technology , the proposals will regenerate a currently vacant former industrial site, delivering high-quality, environmentally sustainable accommodation for 1,007 students split across two phases and offering good connectivity to the city centre, and the two universities, alongside access to retail and leisure offerings located in the immediate vicinity. The car-free scheme is set to deliver against some of the highest sustainability standards in the city, including a BREEAM Excellent rating, rooftop solar panels, carbon-free heating using air source heat pumps and heat recovery units, rainwater recovery systems, and will enhance sustainable travel between the site and the universities through a green travel fund.

These modern studio bedrooms and cluster flats will feature 24/7 management and a range of residential unit types to suit students at various stages of their academic life and studying at any of Belfast’s universities or higher education locations. With a café, shared lounges, dining areas, games rooms, study spaces, launderettes and gyms, the level of amenity at Titanic Quarter Student Village exceeds any operational, in-construction, or proposed purpose-built management student accommodation scheme in Belfast.

In addition to managed student accommodation, Titanic Quarter aims to deliver new private, social, and affordable homes for more than 8,000 new residents before 2035, alongside commercial, leisure and hospitality development.

George Dyer, Group Investment Director of Watkin Jones, explained:

"We are pleased that Belfast City Council has approved the Titanic Quarter Student Village application. The scheme will help to address the growing need for PBSA accommodation in Belfast whilst supporting a sustainable and safe community for living, working, and leisure. 

"Residents will benefit from excellent transport links which will be further enhanced through the green travel fund, proximity to the city centre, and nearby developments including Titanic Belfast, Odyssey SSE Arena, and Titanic Film Studios. Our proposals include a landscaped courtyard garden and amenities including gyms, common rooms, and recreation facilities, complementing the restaurants, cafés, bars, and park at this waterfront location.

“The Student Village is the second proposed investment in Titanic Quarter by the joint venture, having forward sold the Loft Lines, a BTR development, to Legal & General and Clanmil Housing last year. Through both projects we have collaborated closely with Titanic Quarter Limited and Belfast Harbour Commissioners, delivering part of its longer-term vision for Queen’s Island, regenerating a former industrial area into a sustainable place to live, study and play.”

Anthony Best, Managing Director of Lacuna Developments, added:

“We believe that our Titanic Quarter Student Village offers students and academics from all institutions across the city a fresh choice for managed accommodation, in an exciting area of the city.

“We are responding to the very real demand from all our universities and higher education colleges for managed student accommodation. Belfast is a great city, with a growing knowledge economy that needs students and graduates living here to be successful.”

18 September 2024