A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of construction of a new 191-bed purpose-built student accommodation scheme in Edinburgh.
Student housing developer Alumno and private equity real estate firm Henderson Park are behind the £20 million residence at Jock’s Lodge, with Clark Contracts the main contractor.
The complex will comprise a mix of cluster apartments with shared kitchens and self-contained studio apartments, as well as study and social spaces, landscaped external courtyard areas, rooftop winter gardens, and a ground floor café/restaurant fronting London Road.
The development is located in the Meadowbank and Jock’s Lodge neighbourhood, less than two miles from the University of Edinburgh and within easy reach of the city’s other academic institutions.
The agent is Summers-Inman, with the wider design team comprising Stallan Brand, RankinFraser, Will Rudd, and Hawthorne Boyle.
David Campbell, CEO of Alumno Group, said, “Breaking ground at Jock’s Lodge represents an important milestone for Alumno, as we continue delivering thoughtfully well-designed student living environments across the UK’s university cities. Edinburgh and neighbouring Glasgow are two of the most dynamic student cities and we are excited to see this project and our Glasgow project start on site with Clarks and play a vital role in supporting the student population and enhancing local neighbourhoods.”
Mrinal Jalan, MD at Henderson Park, added, “This is an important milestone not only for this development, but for our continued investment into the Scottish real estate market across a number of our high conviction sectors. This PBSA project stood out to us for its excellent micro location and the opportunity work with best-in-class partners in Alumno and Clark Contracts to deliver a high quality, amenity-rich scheme that will meet the demands of increasingly discerning student occupiers.”
Michael Scanlan, director at Clark Contracts, commented, “We’re delighted to be delivering this excellent student accommodation scheme in Edinburgh. Building on our experience of delivering more than 1,400 student beds in recent years, this project marks our second collaboration with Alumno and Henderson Park, and we’re excited to continue working together to bring the development forward and see it progress on site.”
Work is expected to conclude in time for the 2027/28 academic year.
