Work to start on new student accommodation scheme

Pickard Properties is set to begin work on the demolition of a 20-year-old Leeds student accommodation scheme to replace it with a new development.The new building on Carlton Hill in Leeds will be 15 storeys at the highest point and provide 604 beds. It will replace an 239-bed student scheme.The new scheme has been designed to provide affordable living, with a strong emphasis on an environment to support the students’ mental health and well-being.Demolition of the existing four storey scheme will commence on site shortly, with plans for students to move into the new building during September 2023.The move comes after Pickard Properties, advised by Fox Lloyd Jones, and Unipol Student Homes finalised a creative deal structure following three years of dialogue.The new £40m scheme, will be leased by Unipol and will house students exclusively nominated by the University of Leeds.The development will have larger than standard bedrooms and living spaces and incorporate several fully landscaped three-storey ‘sky gardens’, allocated to clusters of apartments.Fox Lloyd Jones will act as project manager, quantity surveyor and development manager from commencement through to hand over. The company will work alongside GMI, which has been appointed as main contractor on the scheme.