S Harrison proposes £10m student accommodation scheme for listed building in York

S Harrison, the York-based developer, has put forward plans to regenerate a landmark listed York building which has been empty for almost a decade.

Once home to mental healthcare pioneer Samuel Tuke, the former working men’s club in Lawrence Street was originally built in the mid to late 18th Century.

Now,S Harrison has submitted plans to restore the building, along with the neighbouring Tam ’O Shanter public house, to create high quality, purposed-designed student residences.

If the city’s planning committee approve S Harrison’s plans, the £10m scheme will see the creation of a 115 bed student complex, freeing up more York homes in multiple occupancy for local families.

Chris Hale, S Harrison’s group design manager, said: “For so long, this building has had no viable future. Now, working with city architects CSP we have designed a scheme which will retain and restore the existing main listed building and its key architectural features. We plan to remove some later additions so that the frontage onto Lawrence Street, currently blighting the streetscape, returns to its original splendour.

“To the rear of the main house, we plan to strip away the unsightly extension to the original house and remove the dilapidated sheds and outhouses. In their place we will build new accommodation, establishing a new streetscape on Brinkworth Terrace and creating an attractive courtyard area.”

The Tam O’ Shanter pub will be incorporated into the scheme to create leisure and workspace facilities for the students, including games room, gym, cinema, common room and study areas. There will be controlled gated access to the complex which will provide one, two, three and five bedroomed accommodation.

The developer believes the scheme will bring investment and jobs to the area, safeguard a listed building and free up family homes in the city.

Chris Hale added: “The best way of preserving older buildings is to find viable new uses for them. Our scheme does just that for a listed building which otherwise has no viable future and will only fall into further, possibly terminal disrepair. At Harrison we have an excellent track record in ensuring that the city’s heritage is safeguarded. This scheme, if approved, will provide another example of our quality development philosophy in practice.”

S Harrison hopes that the scheme will be considered by the council’s planning committee early in the new year. If approved, work will start immediately and will be completed in time for the 2017 student intake.