Construction of the new Student Village on the site of East Slope is well under way, with the first students due to move in this September.

Rents will be cut for around one in three students living on campus for 2018/19, the University of Sussex has confirmed. 

A third of current on-campus accommodation – nearly 1,400 bed spaces - will be offered at reduced rates next academic year, as the University reaffirms its commitment to providing a range of price points for student residences. 

Park Village will cost £90 a week from the autumn, down from £98.53, making it the cheapest accommodation on campus and only £1.44 more expensive than the old East Slope, which is being replaced with a new modern student village. 

Reduced rents are also available in Lewes Court 1 (£119, down from £128.74) and Park Houses (£111, down from £115.83). 

The University agreed the rents following close consultation with the Students’ Union. 

Simon Neale, Director of Estates and Facilities Management, said: “It’s been great to work with our students to ensure that we continue to offer housing options to suit a range of budgets and needs.” 

The new student village will open in phases between 2018 and 2021. On completion, it will be home to more than 2,000 students and will triple the amount of student housing on the East Slope site. 

For those students who become the very first occupants in the new student village, they will find each room fitted to a high specification. Cluster flats in the new development will offer ensuite study bedrooms, bookable group study rooms and a large kitchen/social room. Accommodation in the new student village will also be offered in town houses with shared facilities. 

In addition, the finished development will feature social spaces, modern laundry rooms and secure bicycle storage for every resident, as well as a number of retail outlets and a student centre. 

The residences will include modern, environmentally friendly features such as a greywater treatment and recycling system and a number of green and brown roofs. 

At £156.55 per week, rent in the new development is priced at about the same level as other ensuite campus accommodation, at Swanborough and Northfield (£156 per week).  

All campus rents include gas, electricity, water, personal contents insurance, cleaning of communal areas, wi-fi and 24-hour security.