Manchester Road, Huddersfield (former HD1 student flats)

The site is made up of two refurbished blocks of studio flats on Manchester Road on the south west edge of Huddersfield town centre, originally built and operated as commercial student accommodation under the HD1 brand for the University of Huddersfield. The Home Office concluded a deal to take the entire 670 bed estate into asylum use in 2024, with refurbishment and security works completed before any residents could move in^[1]GOV.UK^[3]Press.

Move in dates have repeatedly slipped. Huddersfield Hub reported in late 2024 that the refurbished block remained empty despite confirmed plans, with the Home Office maintaining only that residents would arrive in due course^[4]Press.

When the Home Office plan came to light in summer 2023, about 168 University of Huddersfield students who had already signed for HD1 rooms were forced to find alternative accommodation at short notice. ITV Calendar reported the Home Office had told the operator the rooms were needed for asylum seekers and that the students could not move in^[2]Press.

Kirklees Council registered major concerns about the proposal but had no formal veto. The first arrivals were planned in phases, beginning with single adult men aged 18 to 65 and expanding capacity over time^[3]Press.

The May 2024 GOV.UK factsheet positioned Manchester Road as a cheaper alternative to hotels then costing roughly £8 million per day across the national estate^[1]. October 2025 reporting on NAO modelling overturned that framing: instead of saving £23 million the site is now expected to cost about £2 million more than the equivalent hotel run, with total projected spend of roughly £358 million between 2024 and 2033^[5]Press.

At a £100 per person per day former-student-flats benchmark (a midpoint between HMO and hotel rates that reflects the high refurbishment and on site management cost), 670 residents implies roughly £67,000 per day or about £24.5 million a year, broadly consistent with the NAO trajectory once contractor profit and refurb amortisation are included^[6][7]NAO.