There’s an acknowledged lack of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) in the city of Cambridge, which is home to two major universities. 444 Newmarket Road is a high-quality, attractive and sustainable development that will meet growing local demand for student housing.
Gleeds has been appointed as Project Manager and Employer’s Agent for the scheme, with responsibility for structured governance and contract administration, and advanced risk management. Our expertise in PBSA and complex urban schemes is enabling us to ensure cost certainty and value, programme discipline, and smooth delivery.
A timely and seamless handover is particularly important to meet the tight deadlines ahead of the arrival of the new student intake at the start of the 2026 academic year.
The completed scheme will provide 140 modern, cluster and studio apartments over four storeys, alongside internal and external amenity spaces and 125 cycle spaces, encouraging sustainable transport use. There’s a focus on inclusivity, with 5% of the rooms set to be fully accessible studios.
Regeneration and respect for heritage
444 Newmarket Road’s proximity to Anglia Ruskin University, along with its excellent connectivity via transport links, makes it an ideal location for new student accommodation. However, the site comes with its challenges.
The project involves regeneration of a key brownfield site that used to be home to a car dealership. A constrained site, it is adjacent to Network Rail assets. The highways access into site is also one of Cambridge’s busiest roads and the surrounding area encompasses a mix of uses including residential and commercial, as well as a number of heritage buildings. The proposals will create an attractive design that improves the street front aesthetic, while being sensitive to the heritage assets, which include the Grade I listed Leper Chapel.
Gleeds’ approach prioritises rigorous project management, including applying for planning condition discharges and the requisite approvals from Network Rail, along with proactive stakeholder engagement and construction delivery assurance.
The services we’re providing include:
- Finalisation of main contract documents and execution support.
- Monitoring construction progress, quality, and compliance.
- Administering the JCT Design and Build 2016 contract.
- Global stakeholder engagement, particularly with Network Rail.
- Programme oversight and reporting, including bi-weekly dashboards and monthly reports.
At every stage, we’re applying sustainable construction practices, value engineering approaches, and digital oversight. This incorporates the use of Gleeds Visualise, a 360° digital reality capture tool, for transparent site monitoring.
We’re also supporting the generation of economic and social value through engaging with the local supply chain and helping to improve community integration.
The completed development at 444 Newmarket Road will respond to the city’s need for more student bedspaces, offering a high standard of living while regenerating the site and enhancing the wider urban environment.
