Privately-owned student accommodation developer and operator Fusion Group has secured approval for its purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in Cardiff.
Fusion’s Longcross Court development, located on Newport Road near the city centre, will deliver 706 beds across 488 units. The development will also include 750 m2 of internal amenities, including a wellbeing studio, juice bar and fitness suite, as well as landscaped outdoor spaces.
Designed by Corstorphine & Wright, Fusion will seek to deliver a BREEAM Outstanding certification for the scheme and will install renewable energy facilities through air source heat pumps and PV panels.
Fusion’s planning application was supported by planning consultants Pearce Planning. Replacing a largely empty commercial building, Fusion’s scheme will be an anchor public space at the City Road-Newport Road junction, providing improved public realm with a 143 m2 café and a further 482 m2 of commercial space.
In 2023, Fusion entered into a forward purchase agreement with UK listed REIT Picton Property Income to acquire the site, upon receipt of planning permission. Completion is expected before the end of the year, and construction is expected to start in Q1 2025 and complete in time for the 2028/29 academic year.
Julian Evans, land and planning director at Fusion Group, said: 'Longcross Court is designed for positive impact: to enhance the wellbeing and student experience of its residents, to improve the public realm for the community, and to create and unlock much-needed housing for the city of Cardiff.
'Bringing a high-quality and sustainable development to a site that has been under-used for too long, this planning approval is a testament to the appetite among communities for realising the potential of city-centre brownfield sites and creating best-in-class new homes where they’re needed.'
