Member Article

Contractor appointed to £20m Durham student accommodation project

Kier Construction has been appointed to construct and deliver the new £20m Sheraton Park student accommodation scheme, located on a 3-acre site just over a mile from Durham city centre.

The contractor’s appointment by the specialist student housing developer, Alumno, marks a major turning point in the transformation of the Edwardian landmark buildings.

The site, which had fallen into disrepair, was previously part of New College Durham until it relocated to its new purpose-built facilities at Framwellgate Moor in 2007.

Gary Dobson, Kier Construction Area Operations Manager, said: “We are delighted to continue our successful relationship with Alumno Developments. In drawing from our experience together in delivering high quality student accommodation I feel we can produce a unique product that significantly enhances the student experience in Durham.

“This site is situated within a private residential development and we will be working closely with the residents’ committee – establishing a drop-in centre once the project is live- to enable them to discuss with our project team any queries and concerns they may have.”

The site is being brought back to life with plans for 418 student rooms as a result of designs developed by the award-winning architectural practice, Howarth Litchfield, who were major contributors when securing planning permission for Sheraton Park.

The new facilities will cater for a mixture of undergraduates, post-graduates, returning students and some fellows, and will include a mix of en-suite bedrooms, studios and accessible bedrooms.

Additionally, there will be a main reception, large communal common rooms, management facilities, a new community room, cycle racks and a laundry.

Speaking about the scheme, managing director of Howarth Litchfield, Jonathan Yates, is pleased to see this major redevelopment project start on site after extensive public consultation sessions. He said: “The designs for Sheraton Park were developed to address a need for bespoke student accommodation as identified by Durham University.

“Our design solution had to take account of existing residential properties surrounding the site as well as Alumno’s three main priorities for all its student accommodation schemes of affordability, location and quality. We believe that in Sheraton Park, which is set within an enhanced landscape-led context, we have created a highly sustainable and vibrant collegiate community, consistent with Durham University’s accommodation strategy and we are looking forward to seeing construction get underway.”

David Campbell, Alumno’s managing director, added: “Sheraton Park marks a significant milestone for Alumno. A key component in our evolution and growth has been thorough and detailed planning together with close consultation. This was very evident at Sheraton Park, where we have worked very closely at every stage with all the residents and key stakeholders. This ensured our plans were fully inclusive and that we listened to the community and developed a deep-rooted understanding of what was required.

“Sheraton Park will offer its end -users a premium blend of student accommodation within an highly attractive environment and we aim to reinterpret much of the original character whilst maintaining much of the history of the existing site. The sensitive development of the site is predominantly landscape led and the proposals will recreate a semi-wild parkland within the confines of the local environment. We anticipate high demand from students wishing to live there.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .