Blacklight Capital Partners has been granted full planning permission for a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme on Devon Street in Liverpool.
The development will deliver 202 oversized studios in the historic fabric district of the city. Residents will also benefit from access to a 645 sq ft roof terrace on the eighth floor, gym, lounge, games room, cinema room, private dining room, and reception area. Construction is set to begin on the scheme this year and once complete, it will be operated by a third-party manager.
The Devon Street project first won planning permission in 2016, but construction stopped in 2021. It was an early stage part-constructed site that was acquired in December 2024 by Blacklight from administration after the previous developer was unable to deliver the scheme under a fractional ownership model.
This project will be the second to be part-funded by a well-known European PE fund under a framework agreement that gives Blacklight significant financial firepower to acquire further sites.
“Incredibly pleased to announce that full planning has been approved for our new PBSA development within the historic Fabric District in Liverpool. Featuring 202 studios at an average size of over 24 sqm and over 400 sqm of communal accommodation including co-working lounge, presentation room, gym, content lounge, feature kitchen and sky terrace.
“A long way to go but we are hopeful this will be something very special and a little bit different from the norm, none of which would be possible without a fantastic team – a massive thank you to Smith Young Architecture, Broadgrove Planning & Development, Zerum, Tenos, Red Acoustics, Proudlock Associates, Hollis, Clancy Consulting, Project Studio and Hill Dickinson.”
Tom Mees, Blacklight Capital Partners
Blacklight was well-placed to acquire the Devon Street asset after its success at delivering the Limelight and True/Aura Liverpool schemes nearby.
The project is the third PBSA scheme that Blacklight will develop in the area, following the successful Limelight development which completed in Q4 2024 and was recently shortlisted for two awards. In April this year, the company appointed Savills to sell the scheme.
