UPP is rising above the recent doom and gloom as it celebrates another spectacular year with occupancy levels of more than 99 per cent across its portfolio of university partners.
Media Centre
05/02/2008 - UPP to invest £2 billion in higher education infrastructure
The University Partnerships Programme (UPP), the country's leading university partner in student accommodation, has announced plans to double in size within the next three years and invest a further £1 billion in higher education infrastructure by 2013, delivering a total of £2 billion in private sector investment to the sector.
UPP achieved its most successful year to date in 2007, following a strategic restructuring of the company and the appointment of Sean O'Shea as Managing Director. Having completed three new partnerships over the year, UPP now has £450 million worth of construction in progress - all of which is on time and on budget.
With a further 17,000 new student beds in the pipeline, UPP is making early progress towards its expansion goals, which include a rent roll of £125 million from a planned portfolio of 35,000 rooms by 2010.
Sean O'Shea comments:
"Many organisations in the HE sector face significant funding challenges to retain or enhance their competitiveness, at a time when the government is championing a skills-based economy. Working in partnership with universities, we supply solutions that unlock significant capital against their estates, allowing our partners simultaneously to invest in key areas such as faculty expansion plans while regenerating their accommodation and facilities.
"Our plans are ambitious but we have an extremely strong track record in adapting our proposition to each university and delivering, consistently."
Last year also saw UPP deliver the first scalable template for eco-friendly student accommodation, which has been recognised with a BREEAM 'excellent' rating. Construction of the first Eco-Residence has just been completed at Lancaster University. The University of Kent is also leading the way by adopting the sustainable design for a new college which is currently under development.
Sean O’Shea adds:
"As a source of so much innovative thinking and a springboard for future generations, the HE sector must set an example by putting sustainability at the heart of its development. As a direct response, UPP's Eco-Residence offers a unique template for the sector to take bigger, faster steps in this direction.
"I'm looking forward to building on the successes of 2007, bringing further solutions to the sector and establishing new partnerships in the coming months."
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Ian Lindsley, Ben Russell, Fran O’Leary, Jefferson CommunicationsTel: +44 (0)20 7256 8912
Email:
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