Member Article

Work begins on grade II listed Lancaster student accommodation

Robertson North West has started work on the redevelopment of St Leonard’s House, a grade II listed building located in the centre of Lancaster.

A ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of construction on the student accommodation project, which is due to complete in time for the 2019/20 academic year.

The development will convert the former council offices to create 179 student accommodation bed spaces and was granted planning and listed building consent in February 2017. There will be a combination of self-contained studios and en-suite cluster rooms, along with extensive facilities including a communal kitchen, recreational area and a gym.

Robertson North West’s sister company Robertson Property provided the funding deal. Knight Frank Investment Management (KFIM), has forward-funded the development under its investment management mandate with Lancashire County Pension Fund, which is part of the pooled Local Government Pension Scheme investments managed by Local Pensions Partnership.

The property has been forward-funded on the basis of a completion value of £14.3m, reflecting a net initial yield of 6 per cent.

Ross McNulty, Development Director at Robertson Property, said: “This project will revitalise this historic building by retaining many of its original features. With a high student population, in Lancaster, this building will provide a high quality of accommodation and improve the city’s student accommodation offering.”

Commenting on the construction work, Dirk Pittaway, Managing Director of Robertson North West said: “The St Leonard’s House development will make use of our range of capabilities, due to the different technical aspects of the build. The team is excited to have started work on-site, and are looking forward to providing a high-class facility to the students of Lancaster.”

The main works involve the removal of the internal structure to the stone building, replacing structural elements with a new steel frame and the installation of new timber floors. The concrete building will be stripped back to structure to allow the remodelling works to commence.

A new floor will be added to both buildings by removing the existing clerestory roof and by adding a lightweight steel structure in its place. Included within the fit out works are the construction of specific plant areas, three lifts, recreational areas, and several kitchen areas to service clusters of bedrooms.

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