Invesco and Alumno team up for Manchester student resi

Located on 466-472 Moss Lane East, the project would see the building of 207 cluster beds and 54 studios across a 50,000 sq ft block opposite Whitworth Park.

Invesco Real Estate Europe Fund III has acquired the site for the Manchester student accommodation building. Student resi specialist Alumno will deliver the project, which was designed by architect Carson Sall.

The project was originally developed by Cityside, who helped it secure planning permission from Manchester City Council last year. Cityside was working with Alumno on the project, but eventually left the scheme.

Invesco and Alumno hope to deliver the PBSA before the end of the third quarter of 2026. The project is targeting an EPC A rating and a BREEAM score of Excellent.

Rob Johnston, managing director and head of investments in the UK and Nordics at Invesco, said: “The UK’s PBSA market continues to offer strong investment opportunities, particularly in critically underserved cities such as Manchester. We are delighted to have secured this well-located site and look forward to working with Alumno to deliver a high-quality product to the market, which will ultimately create value for our investors.”

Alumno founder and managing director David Campbell welcomed Invesco as a partner on the development.

“It is a significant step and highlight for the company to be working on this exciting project, with such an established and well-regarded global investment leader, such as Invesco Real Estate,” Campbell said.

“We are looking forward to progressing the project with the Invesco team and delivering a first-class building, our second in Manchester.”

To make way for the new block Invesco and Alumno will need to demolish a non-listed building on the site. Another building that currently sits on the plot is grade two-listed and has been incorporated into the new-build designs. It will act as an amenity space filled with study rooms, lounges, a cinema, a gym, a games room, and a wellbeing area.

The Invesco and Alumna project is within easy walking distance of both the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. It is in a popular area for students, one that has attracted another PBSA developer: Cheshire Homes Group. Cheshire Homes launched a consultation today to build a 169-bed student accommodation block just a stone’s throw away from the Invesco and Alumno project.

You can learn more about Invesco and Alumno’s proposals by searching application reference numbers 135544/FO/2022 and 135545/LO/2022 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.

The project team includes Turley, Hydrock, Nexus, Ridge, GTech Surveys, ROC Consulting, GIA, Middlemarch, Futureserv, OFR Consultants, Hann Tucker Associates, and RSK.