Student Village at University of Staffordshire 

A landmark opening for Stoke-on-Trent

University of Staffordshire officially opened its £100 million Student Village on 11 September 2026, completing one of the largest investments the university has ever made in the student experience, and one of the most significant single investments in Stoke-on-Trent’s ongoing regeneration. Willmott Dixon delivered the construction for Staffordshire Campus Living, the partnership between the university, HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions and Plenary.

The Chancellor of the University, Major Levison Wood, unveiled a commemorative plaque before guests were walked round the buildings by our team. Students moved in the same week, a month after the university was named Daily Mail Modern University of the Year 2027, recognition that cited the Student Village itself among the reasons for the award.

The Village now sits alongside the £60 million Goods Yard development, the revitalisation of the historic Spode Works and the £29 million railway station and gateway programme in a city being actively rebuilt.

What we delivered

• 700 new bedrooms across six residential buildings, in a mix of contemporary cluster blocks and townhouses.
• 300 refurbished bedrooms at Clarice Cliff Court, re-fitted with low-energy systems over the summer months.
• A new Village Hub, net zero carbon in operation, four levels of individual and group study space, social and wellbeing facilities, a landscaped garden lounge, rooftop terrace and a double-height events hall.
• A new pedestrian bridge and boardwalk linking the Village to the university’s Leek Road campus.
• Accessible parkland on the former Leek Road accommodation site, targeting a 12% biodiversity net gain.
• Controlled access, 24/7 on-site security and SafeZone app coverage across the Village.

Built offsite, assembled on a campus that never closed

The superstructure for all six residential buildings went up in 32 weeks, using a fully integrated light gauge steel frame manufactured offsite and assembled on site. That approach held manufacturing tolerances to 5mm across the whole development, a result of taking the offsite decision early in design and then holding to it. The same discipline kept embodied and operational carbon low and delivered EPC A-rated homes.

All of it was built in the middle of a fully operating campus, with thousands of deliveries arriving alongside students, staff and residents. Meticulous phasing, a safety-first sequence and daily coordination between our site team, the university and our Staffordshire Campus Living partners kept the campus running throughout.

Sustainability designed in from the outset

The Village Hub (above) was designed to be net zero carbon in operation. Roof-mounted photovoltaic panels generate on-site renewable electricity and air source heat pumps supply heating and hot water, while Passivhaus principles, high levels of insulation, low U-value materials and maximised air tightness, cut demand for heating and cooling. Across the wider site, the development delivered biodiversity net gain, landscaped public space and improved pedestrian connections, making the campus greener as well as bigger.

On time, on budget, and built to perform for 50 years

The Village was procured through a Design, Build, Finance, Operate (DBFO) model, allowing the university to spread the cost across 50 years. Early engagement between the consortium and the university meant the scheme finished at the same £100 million agreed at the outset, entry cost and exit cost matching. The university’s chief financial officer, Steve Rimell, singled out delivery on time and on budget, and noted that students helped shape the design from the earliest stages.

The legacy that stays behind

More than 1,500 local and young people engaged with the project. Mentoring ran through 80% of the construction programme via apprenticeships, work experience and T-level placements, and the team contributed nearly 700 hours of local volunteering and community activity. We supported The Alice Charity and the Gingerbread Centre, both working with families facing poverty, homelessness and hardship, and ran mental health awareness campaigns with the Lighthouse Charity. Willmott Dixon committed to sourcing at least 25% of labour from within 10 miles of the site and 50% from within 30 miles, with careers engagement delivered through the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Careers Hub.

Students shaped the project as well as the design: they recreated the Village in Fortnite before it opened, and an alumni artist worked on site on a mural that changed how our own workforce talks about mental health.

A track record on university campuses

The Student Village adds to Willmott Dixon’s higher and further education portfolio, which includes the Stirling Prize-winning Town House at Kingston University and recent schemes for Queen Mary University of London, the College of North West London and Bridgend College. It is a portfolio built on the same combination this project needed: modern methods of construction, low-carbon delivery and the ability to build on live, occupied campuses.

What people are saying

“Building 1,000 bedrooms and a new Hub alongside a fully operating campus required close collaboration with the University and our Staffordshire Campus Living partners at every stage. What we’ll remember is how involved students were in the project itself, recreating the village in Fortnite before it opened, and bringing an alumni artist on site for a mural that changed how our own workforce talks about mental health. Initiatives like this make a difference and leave a legacy that will last a long time.”

Dan Doyle, Midlands Director, Willmott Dixon

“The Student Village is one of the most significant investments we have ever made in our students’ experience, and it’s fitting that it opens a month after we’ve been named Daily Mail Modern University of the Year 2027. This development gives our students an outstanding place to live, study and build community, right at the heart of our Stoke-on-Trent campus. It’s also a clear statement of our confidence in this city’s future, and our commitment to being part of its growth for years to come.”

Professor Philip Plowden, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Staffordshire

“The opening of the Student Village is the culmination of a fantastic partnership and a shared ambition to create an outstanding place for students to live. Together, we’ve delivered a sustainable, modern development that will enhance the student experience for years to come while creating a lasting asset for the University and the wider Stoke-on-Trent community.”

Ian Prescott, Managing Director UK, HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions