U+I has simultaneously exchanged contracts to partner with Scape Student Living to deliver 534 student beds.

This forms part of a £300m regeneration plan for the derelict barracks,  drawn up by architects Hassells, Studio Egret West, TP Bennett and Stride Treglown, and will also include a new home for the university’s Business School.

Architect’s model of the Preston Barracks site proposals

U+I, working in partnership with the University of Brighton, ultimately plans to deliver a mix of 370 new homes and nearly 1,400 purpose-built student bedrooms.

U+I will also deliver a 50,000 sq ft hub for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs.

Richard Upton, Deputy Chief Executive of U+I, said: “This project will breathe new life into a corner of Brighton that has lain derelict for decades.

“Working in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council, we are on site delivering one of the most significant regeneration projects in the history of the city.”