Walker Modular Welcomes GRAHAM Gateway 2 Approval on £286m Manchester Student Scheme

Walker Modular welcomes the news that GRAHAM has secured Gateway 2 approval for the £286 million redevelopment of Cambridge Halls in Manchester.

The approval allows GRAHAM to move into the main construction phase of the major 2,302-bed student accommodation development for Unite Students and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Walker Modular has a long-standing relationship with GRAHAM, supporting major residential and student accommodation developments through the manufacture and delivery of bathroom pods.

The Cambridge Halls development is another significant scheme within the UK purpose-built student accommodation sector and demonstrates the scale of projects now progressing through the market.

The Building Safety Regulator has approved the first phase of the redevelopment, allowing structural groundworks to begin following completion of demolition.

The former 770-bed Cambridge Halls complex will be replaced by a series of new buildings rising to approximately 30 storeys.

The development will be delivered in two phases.

The first phase will provide 1,101 student bedrooms and is scheduled to open for the beginning of the 2029/30 academic year.

The second phase will provide a further 1,201 bedrooms and is expected to follow a year later.

Designed by Cartwright Pickard, the development will include cluster apartments, studios and postgraduate accommodation, together with communal kitchens, dining areas, rooftop exercise space and sports facilities.

The buildings are targeting BREEAM Excellent and will incorporate air-source heat pumps, photovoltaic panels, heat-recovery ventilation and intelligent building management systems.

For Walker Modular, major developments such as Cambridge Halls highlight the importance of manufacturing capacity, programme certainty, repeatable quality and supply-chain reliability.

Walker Modular seamless GRP bathroom pods can be manufactured within a controlled factory environment while the main building structure progresses on site, reducing the amount of work required on site and helping contractors manage large-scale residential programmes more efficiently.

Walker Modular is proud of its relationship with GRAHAM and congratulates the GRAHAM team on achieving this important Gateway 2 milestone.

We look forward to continuing to support GRAHAM across major projects throughout the UK.