The Nottingham Student Living Strategy brings together Nottingham City Council, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University. The partnership addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with the city’s large student population.
The partnership was established to achieve a better balance between the accommodation students need, sustainable neighbourhoods and the wider supply of housing for Nottingham’s communities.
Working together to address a shared challenge
The Strategy is underpinned by shared evidence and analysis from the Council and both universities. This enables the partners to understand changing patterns of student demand and accommodation. It also supports collaborative approaches to planning, development and neighbourhood management.
The partnership has also enabled the universities to engage with developers at an early stage. This helps ensure that new accommodation reflects student demand, affordability and longer-term housing needs.
Making a difference
The Strategy has helped reshape Nottingham’s student accommodation market. It has also reduced pressure on established residential neighbourhoods.
Key achievements include:
- Around 730 properties have returned from student occupation to general housing use since 2021. This has helped rebalance neighbourhoods and increase the city’s council tax base.
- Significant growth in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) has provided greater choice for students. It has also reduced reliance on traditional housing in established communities
- Shared evidence has strengthened planning decisions. This has helped partners respond to actual student demand rather than assumptions about continued growth.
- Greater competition in the student accommodation market has helped to moderate rents and improve affordability.
- The partnership has developed a collaborative approach to neighbourhood management and community relations, alongside planning and accommodation policy.
A changing market
The student accommodation market is now more mature, and the focus of the Strategy is evolving.
The challenge is no longer simply to accommodate continued growth in student numbers. The partnership is now focused on consolidating existing progress and responding to changing demand. It is also working to ensure the accommodation market continues to meet the needs of students, communities and the city.
This includes responding to changes in demand for different types of student accommodation. It also involves managing areas where student populations remain concentrated, and ensuring that future development reflects genuine need.
The partners continue to work together on neighbourhood issues. These include community relations, anti-social behaviour, noise and waste.
The value of partnership
The progress achieved through the Student Living Strategy demonstrates the value of partnership working. It shows what can be achieved when the city and its universities address a shared place-based challenge together.
The partnership combines local government expertise, university data and insight, planning knowledge and direct relationships with students and communities. This enables better-informed decisions and a coordinated response to changing circumstances.
The Strategy is now entering its next phase. The partners will continue working together to sustain the benefits achieved and support balanced, thriving neighbourhoods across Nottingham.
