Wendy
3/16/2026 10:12:14 AM
4 mins read
STUDENT VISION: A computer-generated image of an element of the forthcoming work. Picture: Building Design Northern.
Work will start next month on the creation of 237 new student living units in Liverpool.
Specialist provider Kexgill Group’s UQ Partnerships and University of Liverpool have given formal approval to a strategic joint venture, that will deliver a £20 million-plus phased programme over the coming years, bringing new high quality, affordable accommodation to the city campus.
Building conversions and the redevelopment of disused existing units will kickstart the partnership, which follows the signing of an exclusivity agreement last summer between the university and the Hull-based company.
An alternative computer-generated image of an element of the forthcoming work. Picture: Building Design Northern.
Richard Stott, joint managing director of Kexgill Group, said: “Today marks a defining moment for us at the Kexgill Group and UQ Partnerships. Formal approval of this strategic
joint venture with the University of Liverpool represents a significant step forward in the evolution of university and private sector collaboration.
“University partnerships have always been central to our long-term business plans. In an increasingly price-sensitive environment, structural alignment with university partners provides both affordability for students and income resilience.
“This is about more than strategy. It proves that a values-led, independent business can work in genuine partnership with a leading Russell Group university to deliver what truly matters: high quality, genuinely affordable, on-campus student accommodation.”
Kexgill is supporting and guaranteeing UQ Partnerships, the new company formed to deliver the joint venture. Both will work closely operationally, with Stephen Willis, Mr Stott’s fellow joint managing director bringing a wealth of finance expertise from the sector, as former CFO of Durham, Hull and Leeds Beckett universities. Kexgill deputy managing director Michelle Fang, who brings further financial analysis expertise, is also on board.
Mr Stott said the joint venture establishes a new delivery model, one that “aligns the long-term institutional objectives of the university with the agility, operational expertise and investment discipline of a specialist private operator with over 50 years’ experience.”
He added: “I believe this positions the University of Liverpool and UQ Partnerships at the forefront of a new model within the UK purpose-built student accommodation sector, combining social impact through affordability with disciplined, institution-anchored performance. Above all, it reinforces what has always driven us: doing the right thing for students while building a sustainable, long-term business.”
The University of Liverpool will be represented on the joint venture board by Nicola Davies, chief financial officer; David Furnival, group director of property and campus services and Matthew Clough, director of campus services.
Nicola Davies said: “We know that our students value high quality, affordable accommodation close to the university and this new halls of residence will be an important addition to our campus. We look forward to realising the benefits of our innovative joint venture over the coming years.”
Kexgill was founded by its chairman, Dr Michael Lee, a former student dissatisfied with the standard of his own digs when he studied in Hull. He said: “I am immensely proud of our joint venture with the University of Liverpool, a distinguished Russell Group institution.
“After nearly five decades in the sector, achieving a true strategic partnership of this nature is deeply meaningful to me. From the very beginning, my focus has been simple: students deserve good-quality, affordable accommodation as part of their rite of passage. This partnership delivers exactly that, accommodation that is on campus, aligned with the University, and designed with affordability at its core.”
