Northern Ireland construction firm awarded £70million contract for luxury 661-bed student accommodation

Northern Ireland construction firm, Graham has been awarded a £70m contract by property developer Bricks Group for the two-stage design and build Bendigo Building project in Nottingham.

Operated by Bricks’ acclaimed management platform 'true student,' the development marks a noteworthy advancement in the realm of purpose-built student accommodation in Nottingham and adds to true student’s impressive brand portfolio of over 7,000 beds across the UK’s student market.

Originally built in the late 1960s, the Bendigo Building served as a Royal Mail Sorting office. After nearly two decades of vacancy, the redevelopment will bring new vibrancy to the area and high-end accommodation to students, offering great connectivity to Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham train station and high street - all less than half a mile away.

‘True Nottingham’ – a 661-bed development, offers a compelling variety of living options including beautifully designed studios and four, five and six en-suite bedroom apartments. As with all true student sites, the luxury all-inclusive accommodation will be fitted out to exceptional specification, providing amenities such as the Festival zone, multi-media/games lounge, state-of-the-art gym with personal trainers plus fully landscaped garden with outdoor seating areas, car parking and cycle storage. Two ground-floor commercial units will provide additional amenities for the benefit of both students and the wider community.

Graham will work in collaboration with the consultancy team, including Bricks development team, Abacus as employer’s agent and principal designer, KKA Limited as architect, HSP Consulting as civil & structural engineer and ME7 as mechanical & electrical engineer.

​Ronan Hughes, regional director at Graham, Hillsborough-headquartered, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Bricks Group to deliver this development that represents a significant investment in student accommodation, contributing to the growth and vibrancy of Nottingham. We have similar experience in delivering major projects in the city and look forward to transforming an unused space into a thriving new community for Nottingham’s student population.”

Ben Morley, ‘true student’ managing director, continued: “We are thrilled to be extending our multi awarding-winning true student brand to Nottingham, an incredible city of invention and innovation from Ibuprofen, tarmac, the traffic light, HP sauce, the video tape recorder and MRI scanner to name just a few! Home to academic excellence within a superb Higher Education and research environment attracting record domestic and international student growth.

"Catering for this demand, ‘true Nottingham’ represents our next generation product design, purposeful amenities and passionate service proposition via truelif. A unique and compelling experience-led offering, delivering sustainable brand, partnership and commercial value for our guests, teams and partners.”

Pete Prickett, Bricks CEO and founder, added: “It’s great to be introducing true student to guests in Nottingham. Really excited to extend our strong relationship with Graham after our first successful project together in Salford.”