Bristol among major UK university towns and cities facing bed shortage
Bristol is among the UK’s major university towns facing a shortage of more than 350,000 beds, as demand continues to outweigh both the supply and delivery of student accommodation.
Global real estate advisor CBRE has analysed the latest available supply and demand data across the 30 largest university towns and cities. The research found that in Bristol, just 2,900 beds have been delivered since 2018 but the need for purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) has grown by 8,000 in that time frame.
Nick Reed, residential capital markets director at CBRE South West, said: “The UK’s student population is the largest it’s ever been, and undergraduate applications are forecast to grow by 25% to one million by 2030.
“The gap we’re seeing here between supply and need for purpose-built student accommodation highlights the mismatch between the pace of delivery and growth in the student population and the chronic need for accommodation. Both the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England continue to be popular destinations for students from all over the country and abroad and the demand for accommodation is showing no signs of abating.”
Demand for student accommodation also remains strong in nearby Bath, where the student population has grown by 18% in the last five academic years and the city has a current unmet demand of 9,000 beds.
