First look at seven new tower blocks with hundreds of student flats near Wembley Stadium

An existing waste management site could be demolished to make way for more than 750 rooms, spread across seven tower blocks up to 15 storeys.

The site is currently occupied by a skip company, but Wembley Edge Property Ltd is looking to demolish all of the existing buildings to develop two ‘land parcels’ located both to the north and south of Fifth Way - just a stone’s throw from Wembley Stadium. The total 759 rooms will be split between studio flats and ‘cluster’ rooms for university students – a type of shared living arrangement where students would have their own private room but share a kitchen and bathroom.

In 2023, Brent had nearly 20,000 full-time student residents, with just under 15,000 requiring purpose-built accommodation – an increase of 125 per cent over the last decade – according to a Student Housing Need Assessment carried out by the developer. However, there are just 4,636 existing student spaces spread across 12 developments in Wembley, leaving a substantial shortfall, they claim.

Students currently living in these existing developments study at Central London universities – with nearly two-thirds studying at University of Westminster, Middlesex University and Buckingham New University – as well as more local ones. Wembley is seen as being an ‘increasingly desirable location’ for students due to its good transport connections, as well as the growing number of shops and night-time activities in the area.

The latest London Plan outlines a requirement for 3,500 places annually over the next two decades or so and highlights the reduced pressure on other housing stock – currently occupied by students in the private rented sector – as a result of developing more purpose built accommodation.

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The latest plan proposes building seven new buildings, ranging from five to 15 storeys, comprising 597 studio units and 192 cluster rooms. According to the developer, at least 50 per cent of these rooms will be offered as affordable student accommodation – outlined as housing that costs 55 per cent or less of the maximum income a full-time student could receive from the government’s maintenance loan for living costs.

Documents submitted to Brent Council also reveal plans for a café, communal student leisure rooms, ground floor industrial space, and parking spaces for 609 bikes. Developers claim the accommodation would ‘positively contribute’ to the borough’s housing targets and city-wide demand for student spaces, as well as providing ground floor facilities that would ‘animate the public realm and spaces’ surrounding the buildings.

The scheme has been recommended for approval by council officers, with the application scheduled to come before the planning committee to be decided on next week (November 13).