Beckley Point

Beckley Point is a private student accommodation building in Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom. It is owned and operated by Yugo, previously known as the Student Housing Company.

Beckley Point
Record height
Tallest in South West England since 2018[I]
General information
Location	Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Address	39 Cobourg St, Plymouth, PL1 1SP
Current tenants	505
Construction started	2015
Completed	2018
Cost	£30.79 million
Owner	Yugo
Height	78 m (256 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	23
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Boyes Rees Architects
Developer	Threesixty Developments Ltd
Main contractor	Kier Group

Background

Beckley Point is the tallest building in the south-west of England as of 2023 standing at 78 metres (256 ft) tall.

The building officially opened in 2018^[1] with 505 student rooms, a number of shared spaces, and a café.^[2][3]

There is a gaming room with eight seats, a study room, a cinema room, a common room and on the 23rd floor of the building there is a sky lounge that is not accessible to members of the public.^[4][5]

History

Construction

Planning permission for the building was approved on 26 November 2014.^[6][7]

Construction began on 15 August 2015^[4] and was initially completed on 8 February 2017 following delays due to the weather.^[8] The building was designed by Boyes Rees Architects, developed by Threesixty Developments, and built by Kier Group.^[9]

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the building's external cladding was tested and deemed satisfactory, however the developers decided to replace it as a precaution in the same year and completed all construction works in January 2018.^[10]

Incidents

During construction works in 2017, a group of teenagers broke into the site and climbed around 250 ft (76 m) up the scaffolding around the building.^[11]

On 31 March 2020, the building was evacuated following a leak on the 21st floor which spread to the lower parts of the tower. A similar issue also occurred in 2017 whilst the building was still under construction.^[12]

Reception

The building was shortlisted for the Carbuncle Cup in 2018, a prize given to the ugliest building in the UK completed in the previous 12 months.^[13][14]