Storthes Hall Park is a purpose-built Student Village set in idyllic countryside just outside the Yorkshire town of Huddersfield. The site was originally developed by the University but is now managed by South Street under the DIGS brand.

The 33-acre site consists of 1380 rooms with an onsite reception, gym, shop, launderette, commercial space, bar, café, games rooms, cinema and study areas. The student accommodation comprises 11 residential courtyards, each block 4 storeys high. The cluster flat configurations are centred around communal kitchens and there are a number of types of room to suit all requirements and budgets.

As the site is managed as the Universities preferred, recommended and approved accommodation it is focussed very much on delivering core events for first year students to keep them engaged with University life whilst ensuring they are well supported and receiving the best value for money offer in the area.

In addition to constantly updating the accommodation (which was originally designed back in the mid 1990’s) to stay in touch with current purpose built student accommodation trends the South Street team have also developed a growing commercial business. The Venue, which is the main communal facility for the village, has many features which are attractive to the local population and visiting groups. A commercial team has been set up to make the most of this opportunity. Wedding receptions and summer groups now deliver substantial and growing income for the business.

Ashenhurst Houses are purpose built for the students who are looking to embrace the freedom of living in a house but with the added security and convenience of living in a supported environment. The 280-bed complex is located on the outskirts of Huddersfield town centre. The property is particularly attractive to Internationals and Post Graduate students who have had enough of living in a large student complex. The site is close to lots of competition in the town so the local management team work hard to ensure there is a homely and “the door is always open” feel to living here with less provision of entertainment but more scope to let students get on with their work in their smaller, intimate social groups.

To boost occupancy DIGS are working with the University International office to deliver fantastic value for money offers and have started to explore the opportunity to mix Private Residential living with student. A relatively new concept for the UK.

Chambers 51 is a refurbished office block in the centre of Wolverhampton situated just across the road from the University of Wolverhampton South Campus.

The site was developed by Watkin Jones in 2009 and comprises 142 self-contained studios and 15 ensuite bedrooms. The provision of studios in this particular market is a real USP allowing the sales and marketing team to drive income and the property has achieved 100% occupancy year on year.

We have improved the building management systems and services to ensure the delivery of a safe and well spec’d modern accommodation which delivers the key features all students are looking for in the purpose built student accommodation sector.

The development includes c. 5,860 sqft of commercial space at ground level which is let to local retailers.

South Street acted as Development Manager to deliver a direct let Purpose Built Student Accommodation scheme of 234 studio bedrooms in the heart of Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush London. The scheme completed in September 2014. Winner of a Housing Design Award and commended at the Brick Awards in 2015. This was seen as a flagship building for our clients growing operation in the London student property market. We overcame the challenges of delivering a high quality new building within a sensitive heritage setting whilst meeting the physical constraints of the site and the limited programme and budget.

The South Street team worked with developers to ensure this refurbishment of an empty office block into high quality student housing reached full occupancy quickly.

This 221 bed development was delivered in two phases in 2014 and 2015 and our research showed the need for a high end alternative to the accommodation stock available at that time. With this in mind we focussed on wowing customers by introducing features such as our Skyline Studios with amazing views of the town and the surrounding countryside. The spacious studios overlook a central decking area which provides an exclusive leisure facility in the centre of this busy town. Bolton has a growing University and is situated really close to the Universities of Manchester and Salford so there is a large catchment area to work with.

The innovative design now sets the bar for students living in the town and as each phase has been released the property has enjoyed 100% occupancy.

The property was designed and built in collaboration with Watkin Jones in 2008 and has enjoyed strong occupancy in the challenging Sheffield market since opening. The 666-bed property is situated just a 10 minute walk away from the main Sheffield Hallam University Campus and a 5 minute walk away from the main train station.

The property has just benefited from a major overhaul to improve customer services and features which now include a cinema room, improved gym, upgraded communal kitchens and a new customer meet and greet area which allows the onsite team to show customers around the new show flat or just take a little time to engage with their tenants.

In such a busy overheating market such as Sheffield it is key to keep strong partnerships with the nearest University and the South Street team work constantly to maintain a dynamic relationship which is based on trust. This partnership allows the property to maintain healthy occupancy levels during term time with 65% of the property let on a nominations agreement but we also benefit from International groups visiting the University during the summer period.