Olympian Homes has secured a £194m forward funding deal with iQ Student Accommodation for the delivery of 1,952 student beds in Leeds and Coventry.

Olympian Homes has acquired Hume House in Leeds city centre, which is located in the Arena Quarter on Tower House Street and is set to become one of the tallest buildings in England outside of London.

Simon Murray-Twinn, Chief Executive Officer of Olympian Homes, said: “We are extremely proud to have iQ Student Accommodation as our partner for the projects and have worked closely together in partnership to design two very bespoke buildings that are unique and tailor-made to each market. We are looking forward to creating an iconic building in each city, both of which are centred on iQ’s philosophy to put the student experience at the forefront of design and living.”

The 255,000 sq ft, 37-storey building will provide 752 bedrooms of purpose-built student accommodation, along with a roof terrace on the 35th floor to take advantage of the panoramic views across the city. Construction work has already started on the scheme and it will be completed in June 2021 and open for the 2021/22 academic year.

Iliya Blazic, Chief Investment Officer at iQ, said: “We are delighted to have completed this deal with Olympian. Leeds and Coventry are both vibrant student cities which have seen demand for university places grow in recent years.”

Olympian Homes has also acquired lands along Lamb Street in Coventry city centre to deliver 1,200 bedrooms of purpose-built student accommodation. The 371,000 sq ft development consists of three buildings and will be delivered in two phases.

Phase 1 will deliver 823 student bedrooms and includes a 20 storey tower on the junction of Bishop Street and Lamb Street. The scheme will be completed in July 2020 and open for the 2020/21 academic year.