Policy H15 — Purpose-built student accommodation

Policy H15 Purpose-built student accommodation A Boroughs should seek to ensure that local and strategic need for purpose-built student accommodation is addressed, provided that: 1) at the neighbourhood level, the development contributes to a mixed and inclusive neighbourhood 2) the use of the accommodation is secured for students [76] 3) the majority of the bedrooms in the development including all of the affordable student accommodation bedrooms are secured through a nomination agreement for occupation by students of one or more higher education provider [77] 4) the maximum level of accommodation is secured as affordable student accommodation as defined through the London Plan and associated guidance: a) to follow the Fast Track Route, at least 35 per cent of the accommodation must be secured as affordable student accommodation or 50 per cent where the development is on public land or industrial land appropriate for residential uses in accordance with Policy E7 Industrial intensification, co-location and substitution b) where the requirements of 4a above are not met, applications must follow the Viability Tested Route set out in Policy H5 Threshold approach to applications , Part E c) the affordable student accommodation bedrooms should be allocated by the higher education provider(s) that operates the accommodation, or has the nomination right to it, to students it considers most in need of the accommodation. 5) the accommodation provides adequate functional living space and layout. B Boroughs, student accommodation providers and higher education providers are encouraged to develop student accommodation in locations well-connected to local services by walking, cycling and public transport, as part of mixed-use regeneration and redevelopment schemes. 4.15.1 London’s higher education providers make a significant contribution to its economy and labour market. It is important that their attractiveness and potential growth are not compromised by inadequate provision for new student accommodation. The housing need of students in London, whether in Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) or shared conventional housing, is an element of the overall housing need for London determined in the 2017 London SHMA. London’s overall housing need in the SHMA is expressed in terms of the number of conventional self-contained housing units. However, new flats, houses or bedrooms in PBSA all contribute to meeting London’s housing need. The completion of new PBSA therefore contributes to meeting London’s overall housing need and is not in addition to this need. 4.15.2 The overall strategic requirement for PBSA in London has been established through the work of the Mayor’s Academic Forum, and a requirement for 3,500 PBSA bed spaces to be provided annually over the Plan period has been identified. [78] Meeting the requirement for PBSA should not undermine policy to secure mixed and inclusive neighbourhoods. 4.15.3 The strategic need for PBSA is not broken down into borough-level targets as the location of this need will vary over the Plan period with changes in higher education providers’ estate and expansion plans, availability of appropriate sites, and changes in Government policy that affect their growth and funding. To demonstrate that there is a need for a new PBSA development and ensure the accommodation will be supporting London’s higher education providers, the student accommodation must either be operated directly by a higher education provider or the development must have an agreement in place from initial occupation with one or more higher education providers, to provide housing for its students, and to commit to having such an agreement for as long as the development is used for student accommodation. This agreement is known as a nomination agreement . A majority of the bedrooms in the development must be covered by these agreements. Therefore, the borough should ensure, through condition or legal agreement, that the development will, from the point of occupation, maintain a nomination agreement or enter a new nomination agreement with one or more higher education provider(s) for a majority of the bedrooms in the development, for as long as it is used as student accommodation. There is no requirement for the higher education provider linked by the agreement to the PBSA to be located within the borough where the development is proposed. 4.15.4 Where all the bedrooms in the PBSA development are provided at a rental cost that qualifies as affordable student accommodation as defined in paragraph 4.15.8 and maintained in perpetuity through legal agreement or condition, there is no requirement for it to have a nomination agreement with a higher education provider. 4.15.5 If the accommodation is not secured for use by students and secured through a nomination agreement for occupation by students of one or more higher educational providers as set out in paragraph 4.15.3 or is exempt from this requirement as set out in paragraph 4.15.4, it will not be considered as purpose-built student accommodation or meeting a need for purpose-built student accommodation; and the development proposal will normally be considered large-scale purpose-built shared living and be assessed by the requirements of Policy H16 Large-scale purpose-built shared living . 4.15.6 PBSA should provide adequate functional living space and layout for the occupants. The design of the development must be high quality and in accordance with the requirements of Policy D3 Optimising site capacity through the design-led approach . 4.15.7 To ensure students with an income equivalent to that provided to full-time UK students by state-funded sources of financial support for living costs can afford to stay in PBSA, the maximum number of bedrooms in PBSA are required to be affordable at this income level. The rental cost for this affordable student accommodation has been defined through the work of the Mayor’s Academic Forum. [79] In addition, thLondon Plan Policy H15 · official source →