Limelight Liverpool

Blacklight Capital Partners has appointed international real estate advisor, Savills, to sell its recently-completed Limelight student housing scheme in Liverpool.

Offers in excess of £61m, reflecting a net initial yield (NIY) of 5.75%, are being sought.

The asset is a new, purpose-built property spanning 162,654sq ft and featuring 535 beds across two blocks.

The accommodation consists of 79% clusters and 21% studios with amenities including a sky lounge with panoramic city views, cinema and karaoke rooms, a fully-equipped gym, study zones, social lounges, and private gated gardens.

Limelight Liverpool is well located in the Knowledge Quarter, only a four-minute walk from Liverpool Lime Street station and roughly equidistant between the two largest universities in the city, which is home to five universities in total.

Liverpool has the UK’s 10^th-largest full-time student population, (55,840) with 26,707 students unable to access purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA).

The property continues to experience strong demand, with 99% occupancy since fully opening in September 2024.

Pre-letting momentum also remains strong, with 61% of beds pre-let for the upcoming 2025/26 academic year.

The scheme offers defensive characteristics, with 71% of occupants being domestic.

Limelight Liverpool benefits from incorporating sustainable design principles, creating energy-efficient accommodation that contributes to reducing carbon emissions from construction through to operational management.

The scheme is equipped with discreetly-located solar panels, low-energy lighting throughout, a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS), and a highly-insulated building fabric.

As a result, it has achieved an EPC rating of ‘B’, EWS1 A1 rating, and is anticipated to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

Jamie Radcliffe, associate director of Savills Operational Capital Markets, comments: “We are delighted to bring this best-in-class asset to market.

“Liverpool continues to attract exceptional applicant demand, with rising domestic and international acceptances outpacing many other regional cities and cementing the city’s position as a leading UK higher education hub.

“Liverpool’s PBSA market presents a compelling investment opportunity, with demand consistently outpacing limited supply and exceptionally few viable schemes progressing through the development pipeline.

“This scheme offers strong defensive characteristics, with 71% of occupants being domestic students.

“Limelight Liverpool also benefits from a wide variety of room types and price entry points, supported by an extensive range of high-quality amenities designed to enhance the student living experience.

“And it is perfectly positioned to meet the growing demand, offering investors a rare chance to secure a high-quality, income-generating asset in one of the UK’s most-dynamic and resilient student markets.”

Limelight is the second PBSA scheme that Blacklight has developed in the city, with its first, the 999-bed Aura, being sold in 2022 to Tristan Capital Partners for £110m.

A third scheme, also in the Knowledge Quarter, is currently being progressed.