Dutch student accommodation provider Nido Living Group has announced plans to invest more than 50 million euro to convert a former office building in the Novoli district into a purpose-built student residence, reigniting concerns among campaigners over the rapid expansion of private student housing in the city.
The company has acquired the 10,000-square-metre property on via dei Caboto, at the corner of via Antognoli, which formerly housed the offices of Banca Toscana. Currently classified as office space, the building will be converted into student accommodation as part of the redevelopment.
According to Nido Living, the project will deliver a “high-quality student residence” featuring modern rooms, study spaces, a gym and other amenities similar to those offered at the company’s properties in Spain and Portugal.
“This is exactly the type of project we want to pursue: bringing strategically located buildings back into productive use instead of leaving them vacant,” said Carlo Matta, CEO of Nido Living. “Florence is our third investment in Italy and it will not be our last.”
The announcement was met with an immediate response from the civic committee Salviamo Firenze (“Let’s save Florence”), which has repeatedly criticized the growth of privately operated student residences, describing them as “hotels in disguise”. The group has expressed particular concern over the concentration of such developments in the Firenze Nova area.
