Tariq Akbar

For over three decades, Downing has steadily built its education portfolio; developing, managing and investing in inspirational student accommodation and facilities in some of the leading university cities in the UK. With over £1.5 billion of developments successfully completed, Downing is now significantly expanding its presence and working in partnership with leading institutional funds and educational establishments to develop, operate, and invest a further £1 billion of new landmark schemes in the UK’s most prestigious student cities. The student accommodation sector has seen many changes over the last few years and has become an institutional asset with many new players entering the market. Since building our first purpose-built student villages in the early 1990s, we have always believed that the best product, sensibly priced, in the best locations will always succeed. It is a simple formula that continues to work. This wealth of experience, outstanding corporate governance, and our standing as a strong family business has enabled Downing to develop valuable partnerships with international institutional funds. Throughout this period, all our developments have achieved double digit returns. Both debt funding institutions and investment funds continue to invest with us – buoyed by our ongoing success in the market. We operate in partnership with universities across the UK and have done for many years, enjoying long-standing nomination agreements with leading universities, alongside a strong profile driven by deep networks in a number of international student markets. Our market-leading portfolio and existing immediate pipeline of developments gives us a strong presence across the UK’s leading universities cities.