Almost 6,000 student rooms have been built in Glasgow over the last decade
By Keir Roberts
There have been almost 6000 rooms built for students in Glasgow over the last decade as planners struggle to keep up with demand.
Since 2015, 20 new student blocks have been built with the majority in the city centre, but also in other areas such as the west end and the southside.
Amidst a housing crisis the city is struggling to keep up with demands as the number of students has risen to over 115,000.
According to data from Savills, Glasgow has the worst imbalance between students in the city and available rooms. The city needs around 22,000 more beds to correct the ratio.
However, some developers are striving to correct the imbalance.
Unite group who already run six properties in Glasgow have purchased another property at Central Quay by the River Clyde.
Tom Brewerton development director at Unite said: “Our latest Glasgow development, north of the River Clyde, will create a new supply of high quality, affordable student accommodation in the city to support the continued growth of our university partners.
“This property will provide more homes for students while helping to ease Glasgow’s housing shortage by freeing up houses for families.”
The new accommodation should be open for the start of the 27/28 academic year and will provide 934 new beds for students.
However, despite promising progress in the number of student blocks that have been built in the last decade, the shiny new buildings sit amongst a backdrop of a concerning downturn in living spaces in a bleak Glasgow.
Two years on from Glasgow City Council declaring a housing crisis in Scotland’s biggest city, rent has skyrocketed.
The average rent in Glasgow is around £1400 pounds per month which is almost double what you would pay in other areas of Scotland with a large student scene such as Aberdeen or Dundee.
The Glasgow student population keeps on growing year after year and at the current moment there isn’t enough beds for them all.
Glasgow University has increased its population by 12,000 in the last decade whilst Glasgow Caledonian and Strathclyde have taken on around 4000 more than in 2015.
34 applications for student housing have been accepted by the council over the last decade with some still being under construction today.
Plans were accepted for a 36-storey block of flats near Charing Cross. If constructed it will be the second tallest building in Glasgow and house almost 800 students.
One of Glasgow’s most historic streets will also soon be home to hundreds of students. Plans were accepted at the end of 2024 to transform what used to be M&S on Sauchiehall street into a block of student flats housing 600 students in a £150M deal.
The plans were previously rejected but changes have been made to appease locals. The building should start the demolition and construction process this year.
