£30m student accommodation scheme completed

Work has been completed on a 407-bed student residential development in Leeds.

Gregory Property Group confirmed it had finished work on The Refinery, a £30m plus scheme on the edge of the city centre.

Despite many challenges posed by the pandemic, Leeds established contractor GMI Construction managed to finish the works on time for the start of the autumn term.

The Refinery is on a prominent site close to Kirkstall Road and was formerly occupied for more than three decades by Maxi’s restaurant as the first purpose built Chinese restaurant in the UK.

The nine, 10 and 11-storey scheme, designed by AHR Architects, comprises studios and bedroom clusters with terrace and garden features. Facilities include shared social hubs, a cinema, gym, games room, concierge and state-of-the-art 24-hour security.

Barry Gregory, chairman of Gregory Property Group said: “We are very grateful to the team at GMI in managing to complete the project under near impossible conditions through the pandemic. The team’s dedication and determination to succeed was evident in abundance.

“Leeds is a top 20 university destination in England with a student population of around 60,000 students that continues to grow. We are pleased to contribute to the high-quality housing needs in the city.”

Nick Woolcott, head of project management at Curlew, said: “We are very pleased to see The Refinery reach timely completion despite the unprecedented challenges faced over the last six months and credit must go to Gregory Property Group, GMI Construction and the rest of the delivery team.

“This development provides state of the art accommodation and is an excellent addition to our portfolio of student facilities across the United Kingdom."