Work begins on York student accommodation scheme as Robertson wins £6m contract

Work has commenced at a new student accommodation scheme on Lawrence Street in York.

Development company S Harrison appointed Robertson Yorkshire and East Midlands,which is part of the £300m turnover infrastructure group Robertson, as the main contractor of the development.

The £6m contract will see the firm transform the Grade-II listed former working men’s club and The Tam O’ Shanter public house into a 115 bedroom student accommodation scheme, complete with communal work space and leisure facilities including a gym and cinema.

The development, which will offer a mix of studios and flats with one, two, three and five bedrooms, is scheduled to complete in time for the 2017/18 academic year.

Empiric Student Property, which acquired the scheme earlier this year, will manage and market the accommodation through its Hello Student platform.

Chris Hale from York based S Harrison said: “The main building within this development has stood empty for almost a decade so it’s great to see work start to bring it back to life.

“Robertson has vast experience in the student accommodation sector so we are delighted to be working with them and are extremely confident in the capabilities of the team to deliver on this project.”

Paul Turner, regional managing director of Robertson Yorkshire and East Midlands, added: “Both the University of York and York St John University have grown at a rapid rate in recent years so quality student accommodation is therefore highly sought after in this area.

“We look forward to delivering a high specification development for future students in York.”

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