PBSA 2026: Growth, Gaps and Hard Choices with Stace

On todays episode we take a look at the PBSA marke with Brian Gough, Partner at Stace, and unpack the realities shaping student accommodation across the UK. 

From rising construction costs and tightening viability to evolving student expectations and the widening gap between premium schemes and ageing stock, Brian shares insight on what’s driving the sector and what’s holding it back.

With a sharp focus on the Midlands, we explore investor appetite, development trends, and whether cities like Birmingham are still seen as a value play or now competing more closely with London. From rental growth and affordability pressures to the emergence of a two-tier market, this episode breaks down where PBSA is thriving, where risks are building, and what it all means for developers, investors, and universities navigating an increasingly complex landscape.

A big thank you to our Building Brum podcast is sponsors reality capture and point cloud modelling specialists ScanTech Digital,  Solus, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of commercial floor and wall tiles, Eh Smith architectural solutions Brick and Fascade specialsts, Unquie Window Systems the multi-award-winning fabricator of UPVC and aluminium windows, doors and curtain walling and Sunbelt Rentals with over 1,500,000 items of equipment- they are the largest providers of equipment hire in the UK.