The Arches Guildford
The Arches provides an exceptional opportunity to acquire a prime consented purpose-built student accommodation scheme in a prestigious university town with extremely limited supply
330
Student Beds
Summer 2026
Delivery
Summer
2027
Delivery
6 mins
Walk to University of Surrey Campus
The scheme will provide 330 beds comprising 236 en-suite clusters and 94 studios with outstanding internal and external amenity provision with the potential to enhance internal amenity provision to provide 2.69 sqm per student.
Guildford is located in close proximity to international airports providing easy accessibility for international students. The scheme itself is a 6 minutes' walk from the University of Surrey and walking distance to Guildford College, The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM Guildford) and Italia Conti's Academy of Theatre Arts.
The Guildford PBSA pipeline remains limited with only 1,399 PBSA beds in the market and a decreasing number of HMO's. The University of Surrey recently disposed of a 270-bed accommodation scheme due to it's age, exacerbating the shortage of beds in the city.
The University of Surrey has a strong financial position with a cash reserve per student of £65,921. This is better than 91% of comparable universities and 68% of Russell Group Universities. This makes the university an outlier among UK universities.
The University of Surrey is ranked 12th in the UK Complete University Guide (2025) and 250th in world rankings rising 61 places in 2024. The university has just opened a new medical school with world class facilities in 2024.
The University of Surrey has around 16,000 full-time students 2022/23 and has experienced significant growth in demand. Since 2014, student numbers have increased by 18%. International students now make up 28% of total full-time students, equating to 3,885 students.
The scheme will be developed by Watkin Jones, the UK's leading developer and operator of residential for rent. Watkin Jones have an unrivalled track record having delivered in excess of 51,000 PBSA beds since 1999.
The title is held Freehold. Watkin Jones achieved planning consent for the scheme in January 2023 (Ref: 21/P/00956).
The unique courtyard design of The Arches allows a flow between indoor and dedicated private outdoor amenity, with the potential to enhance internal amenity provision to provide 2.69 sqm per student.
Blended Amenity
The Arches is located in the strongest location in Guildford for student accommodation, a short 6 minute walk to the University of Surrey Campus, a 10 minute walk to Guildford train station, and just under 15 minutes walk to the town centre and all the amenities on offer. The micro location is also home to a cluster of other student residences, so students will always be close to their friends.
Unrivalled Location
The Arches will provide 330 beds comprising a diverse ranges of rooms types across 236 en-suite clusters and 94 studio rooms, with sizes ranging from 13 sqm to 25 sqm.
Diverse Product
THE ASSET
SPECIFICATION
SUSTAINABILITY
Watkin Jones aims to integrate resource efficient materials and products into their developments as well as maximising low carbon opportunities, through innovation. This includes using low energy options such as LED lighting and energy efficient cooling and heating systems.
The Arches will be delivered to BREEAM Excellent for both the residential and commercial elements.
The Arches is targeting an EPC rating of B in line with the specification of the scheme.
The Arches will incorporate air source heat pumps to provide hot water, with electric radiator heating.
FLOORPLANS
LOCATION
The Arches is excellently located adjacent to The University of Surrey’s campus (just a 6-minute walk), 12 minutes’ north of Guildford Railway Station and 15-minutes from Guildford City Centre. Residents studying at ACM can walk to the academy in under 13 minutes’ with Italia Conti’s Arts Centre 25 minutes away by bus.
Residents are within easy walking distance of a number of key amenities including local supermarkets (Lidl, Tesco Express, and
Waitrose), cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs (including Coffee Culture, Canopy Coffee, Wagamama’s, The Ivy, Coppa Club,
Giggling Squid, Turtle Bay, All Bar One, The White House, PopWorld, and Labryrinth).
Guildford is also easily accessible by car, with the A3 providing direct links to London, Portsmouth, and the M25 (Junction 10).
Guildford is situated approximately 30 miles south-west of Central London, accessible every 15-minutes from London Waterloo in just 33 minutes via South Western Railway.
Located between Heathrow (22 miles north), and Gatwick (25 miles south-east), Guildford is particularly well situated for international students.
The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional, scientific and technological universities, with a world-class profile and a leading reputation in teaching and research, ranked 12th in the UK (Complete University Guide).
THE MARKET
There is robust demand in Guildford for high-quality student accommodation. The current stock of new PBSA property is fully-let, with the small number of build to rent (BTR) beds available to students all let within a week of launch.
The long-term pipeline of consented accommodation is tremendously limited, with relatively few suitable sites in the town remaining and significant local resistance towards further planning consents being awarded.
LIMITED SUPPLY OF ACCOMMODATION
99.7%
OCCUPANCY FOR ALL NEW PBSA ACCOMMODATION IN THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR (23/24)
ONLY 17 BTR UNITS
IN THE CURRENT BTR STOCK THAT ARE ABLE TO BE LET BY STUDENTS
WITH ZERO FUTURE UNITS
IN THE BTR PIPELINE
ONLY 345 PBSA BEDS
IN THE CONSENTED PIPELINE EXCLUDING THE ARCHES FROM 2025 (5% INCREASE TO CURRENT STOCK)
+35%
Increase in the numbers of students attending the University of Surrey since 2012/13
+10%
Increase in applications for entry onto 2023 taught courses from the previous year
28%
Of students are from overseas (23/24 year) which is higher than the UK average
STRONG STUDENT DEMAND
APPROX 16,000 STUDENTS
IN 2023/24 ACCORDING TO UNIVERSITY OF SURREY SOURCES
+35% INCREASE
SINCE 2012/13
28%
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
The University of Surrey is one of the UK's leading professional, scientific and technological universities, with a world-class profile and a leading reputation in teaching and research.
With a strong cash position, land holdings and equity investments in successful ‘spin out businesses’, the University of Surrey’s financial position is comparable to Russell Group universities and significantly de-risks investment in local PBSA.
FINANCIAL STRENGTH
£65,921
CASH RESERVES PER STUDENT
THIS POSITION IS
BETTER THAN
68%
OF RUSSELL GROUP UNIVERSITIES
RANKED
12TH IN THE UK
(COMPLETE UNIVERSITY GUIDE 2025)
THE DEVELOPER
WATKIN JONES OVERVIEW
Listed on the Alternative Investment Market in 2016, Watkin Jones is a fully integrated real estate company providing expertise in development and construction alongside its market leading operational management business, Fresh.
Watkin Jones has built c.51,000 PBSA units across 150+ PBSA schemes and c.5,000 homes across 21 BTR schemes since 1999.
Watkin Jones have demonstrated a strong investment track record comprising £2.3BN of PBSA GDV and c.26,300+ beds across 73 PBSA schemes between 2013 and 2024. Watkin Jones’ funding partners include Legal & General, Unite Students, M&G, and KKR.
Fresh is an integral part of the Watkin Jones Group, managing properties across the student, build-to-rent, and co-living sectors. Fresh have supported The Arches business plan and can be instructed as operational manager subject to agreement.
c.19,000
UNITS UNDER MANAGEMENT
58
OPERATIONAL SCHEMES
£3.17 BN
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
27
OPERATIONAL CITIES
33
NATIONAL AWARDS WON
