National student accommodation developer CityBlock has commenced development of two new student accommodation blocks in Lancaster and Reading, as the company looks to extend its portfolio to include other top-30 city university sites.
The developer’s new Lancaster scheme on Penny Street comprises five floors with 70 en-suite bedrooms including an internal courtyard and retail space on the ground floor. Works consist of ground clearance, CFA (Continuous Flight Auger) piling, sub-structures, traditional steel frame and building traditional stone facades in keeping with the surrounding historic and significant architecture of the city. Titan Group has been appointed as the principal contractor and the block is due for completion in August 2017.
CityBlock has also acquired Berkshire House on Kings Road in Reading in a joint venture with a client of Cluttons Capital Partners. Planning permission has been attained to convert and extend the office building to provide 134 self-contained en-suite studios. The scheme will be delivered for September 2017 by the appointed contractor, Torsion Group and will be operated under the award winning CityBlock management platform.
Trevor Bargh, CEO at CityBlock, said:
“This is a significant milestone for our business as we look to extend our portfolio to include a number of other top university cities in the UK. Having already completed five other student accommodation blocks in Lancaster and Leicester, we are confident in our ability to deliver high levels of student satisfaction, with a focus on accessibility and convenience.
“As we celebrate our 14th consecutive year of achieving student lettings at 100%, we have been fortunate to have won a number of awards in recognition of our commitment to student satisfaction. This year we have earned the International Accommodation Quality Mark for achieving at least 90% student satisfaction among our international student residents and we were only one of two companies shortlisted in the Best Small Provider Category in the 2016 National Student Housing Survey.”
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