M&G invests in London student housing with £135 million development

Acquisition expands M&G's student accommodation portfolio to £900 million and more than 8,000 beds.

London, 27 March 2025 – M&G Real Estate today announces it has acquired a £135 million state of the art, 500-room purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development in Stratford, east London. Now underway, the development of N16 Stratford, is expected to be ready for students in the 2028/29 academic year.

This acquisition in a vastly undersupplied sector underlines M&G’s commitment to high-quality, well-located assets with the potential to provide stable income and capital appreciation for investors. Demand significantly outstrips available supply in student accommodation, with Greater London alone reporting a supply gap that has increased by 45% since 2017/18, standing at over 10,000 beds in 2023¹.

M&G’s extensive network of student accommodation helps students to thrive academically and socially providing circa 8,000 beds across top university towns and cities nationwide. With a portfolio of over £900 million, key properties include 268 bed London and 323 bed Nottingham assets².

Situated in the heart of Stratford, the home of several well-established and accredited universities, this new scheme is targeting an EPC rating of A and a BREEAM rating of Outstanding. The development will be led by HG Living alongside HG Construction as the main contractor.

Alex Greaves, Head of UK Residential, M&G Real Estate, comments: “N16 Stratford is an excellent addition to M&G’s significant student accommodation portfolio and addresses the acute need for quality accommodation in London for talented students to study, develop career paths and relax. We are excited about the opportunities it presents alongside the potential for attractive returns in a market that has consistently shown resilience and growth. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with HG Living.”

Craig McPhail, Director, HG Living, adds: “We are delighted to partner with M&G Real Estate on N16 Stratford. Their expertise and strategic vision align perfectly with our commitment to delivering sustainable, high-quality accommodation with strong sustainability credentials in a key undersupplied student market. I thank everyone involved for their contribution and commitment in making this partnership possible and we look forward to working together to deliver another best-in-class PBSA asset.”

M&G Real Estate is part of M&G plc’s £74 billion Private Markets division.

Download a PDF of the release

Media enquiries

George Greenstreet

Media Relations

Rebecca Talbot

Notes to Editors

¹ Major UK University Towns Facing Shortage of More Than 350,000 PBSA Beds | CBRE UK
² Flora, London (268 bed). Talbot Street, Nottingham (323 bed).
³ M&G as of March 2025

OpenAbout N16 Stratford:

Size: c.19,000 sqm, 504 units (364 en-suites, 140 studios)
1,500 sqm of amenity space, roof terraces and courtyards
Location: Plot N16, 50 Celebration Avenue, East Village, Stratford, E20 1DB

OpenAbout M&G Real Estate

M&G’s £73 billion¹ Private Markets business comprises six core centres of excellence. This includes real estate, of which M&G Real Estate is the 11th largest real estate manager globally of those headquartered outside of the US, with nine offices in Europe and four in Asia Pacific. With more than £40 billion in assets under management covering both real estate equity and debt strategies, M&G Real Estate’s platform provides global market insight and the ability to deliver a variety of compelling strategies to clients. Managing circa 41 million sq feet globally, it has invested more than £3.3 billion into the industrial sector over the past five years, underscoring its commitment to growth and innovation.

OpenAbout M&G Investments

M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investment business which was formed in 2017 through the merger of Prudential plc’s UK and Europe savings and insurance operation and M&G, its wholly owned international investment manager. M&G plc listed as an independent company on the London Stock Exchange in October 2019 and has £346.1 billion of assets under management (as at 30 June 2024). M&G plc has customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, including individual savers and investors, life insurance policy holders and pension scheme members.

For nearly nine decades M&G Investments has been helping its customers to prosper by putting investments to work, which in turn creates jobs, homes and vital infrastructure in the real economy. Its investment solutions span equities, fixed income, multi asset, cash, private debt, infrastructure and real estate.

M&G recognises the importance of responsible investing and is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) and is a member of the Climate Bonds Initiative Partners Programme.

M&G plc has committed to achieve net zero carbon emissions on its total book of assets under management and administration by 2050 and committed to reduce operational carbon emissions as a corporate entity to net zero by 2030. For more information, please visit: www.mandg.com.

OpenAbout HG Living

www.hgliving.co.uk

HG Living is the development arm of the HG Group, with a strong track record of delivering purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), Co-living and Build to Rent (BtR) schemes on behalf of market-leading institutions and investment partners. In partnership with leading UK contractor HG Construction, HG Living is committed to forging longstanding, solutions-focused relationships with private and public-sector organisations, offering a flexible, innovative and responsible approach to development. HG Living has a committed development pipeline and will continue to grow its exposure within the living sectors throughout 2025 and beyond.

This press release reflects the authors’ present opinions reflecting current market conditions; are subject to change without notice; and involve a number of assumptions which may not prove valid. It has been written for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or as a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.

Information given in this document has been obtained from, or based upon, sources believed by us to be reliable and accurate although M&G does not accept liability for the accuracy of the contents.

Issued by M&G Investment Management Limited (unless stated otherwise), registered in England and Wales under number 936683, registered office 10 Fenchurch Avenue, London EC3M 5AG. M&G Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.  M&G Real Estate Limited is registered in England and Wales under number 3852763 and is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. M&G Real Estate Limited forms part of the M&G Group of companies.

M&G Securities Limited: Terms and Conditions for downloading Photographic material

1. Introduction

Welcome to the myM&G campaign landing page (the "Website"). The Website is operated by M&G Securities Limited (“M&G”, “we”, “us” or “our”). By accessing or using the Website and downloading any photographs, images, graphics, or any other visual content available for download or stored on the Website or M&G’s content management system (the “Photos”), you (“You”) represent to have read, understand and agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms and Conditions (the "Terms"), forming a binding agreement between You and us. If You do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Website.

2. Intellectual Property Rights

All Photos available on the Website are the property of M&G or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trade mark, and other intellectual property laws. Unauthorised use of any Photos or content is strictly prohibited.

3. Permitted Use

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, M&G grants You a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable licence to download and use the Photos available on the Website for any purpose, except for purposes which are defamatory, derogatory, related to pornography, otherwise indecent, or involve the creation or dissemination of AI-generated “deep fake images”. Photos can only be downloaded from the hidden URL provided in the press release.

4. Additional prohibitions

You agree that You will not:

(a) modify, alter, or create derivative works from the Photos;

(b) use the Photos in any manner that infringes on the intellectual property rights of M&G or any third party;

(d) share the hidden URL with any unauthorised third party.

5. Attribution

When using the Photos, You must provide appropriate credit to M&G by including a link to our Website or mentioning the source in a manner that is reasonable and customary.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Photos on the Website are provided “as is” without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied. M&G does not warrant that the Photos will be error-free or that your access to the Photos will be uninterrupted.

7. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall M&G be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the use of the Photos, even if M&G has been advised of the possibility of such damages. As the Photos are provided free of charge, M&G's total liability to You for any damages, losses, and causes of action shall not exceed the amount paid by You for accessing the Photos, which is nil.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless M&G, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the Photos.

9. Changes to these Terms

M&G reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting on the Website. If a "click to accept" mechanism is not implemented, You will be notified of changes to the terms via email or a prominent notice displayed on the Website. Your continued use of the Website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms, including any questions regarding their existence, validity, or termination, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms, please contact us at [email protected].

2025 apprenticeships open now

Reframing later life