Opal Property Group Limited, often referred to as Opal, was a company based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

which operates a number of large property developments in UK cities, targeted at students and private renters. Founded in 1998 by Stuart Wall, Opal was the largest provider of private

student accommodation A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

in the UK, providing accommodation for 20,000 students. The company went into administration in 2013 and its properties were transferred to other organisations.

History

The company was founded in 1998.

2013

In March 2013, the company reported that one of its subsidiaries, Ocon Construction, was to be put into administration. The parent company Opal may be broken up if

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

extensions with the banks cannot be agreed. 13 further Opal property subsidiaries in Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Dundee, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leicester, London and Wolverhampton went into administration in March. As of April 2013, much of the various sub companies in the group were in the hands of administrators with various property management companies brought in to oversee the developments whilst buyers were sought.

Properties

Opal's properties include: *

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

- Opal 1 in Highgate *

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

**Opal 1 **Opal 2 ** Opal Tower (Opal 3) *

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

- halls of residence including Opal Court, which was nominated for the 2007

Carbuncle Cup The Carbuncle Cup is an architecture prize, given annually, originally by the magazine ''Building Design'', and since 2024 by ''The Fence'', to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months". It was intended to be a ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

**Opal 1 in Hoxton (

University of the Arts London The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of ...

) **Opal 2 in Greenwich **Opal 3 in Holloway **Opal 4 in Tufnell Park *

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

- ‘Wilmslow Park’ which was the UKs largest private student residence and other accommodation blocks around Whitworth Street *

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

- ** Sutton Bonington Halls (Now ran by Campus Living Villages) ** Opal 2 (Now called Nottingham Two) halls of residence with common room and gymnasium *

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

- Opal 1 *

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

**Opal 1 near the Devonshire Quarter **Opal 2 in Netherthorpe (now called "Allen Court" and run by

Greystar Real Estate Partners Greystar Real Estate Partners is an international real estate developer and manager based in the United States. As of 2023, Greystar had over $76 billion in gross assets under management, and operated in 17 countries. Per NMHC report, Greystar ...

) **Opal 3, also in Netherthorpe

References

Property companies of the United Kingdom {{UK-company-stub