Approval granted to £12m Wirral student block

Liverpool-headquartered developer YPG has been given permission to convert a disused Wirral Council building into a 200-bedroom student accommodation building, providing rooms for future students of the planned Marine Education & Training Centre.

Located on the corner of Cleveland Street and Lord Street, the £12m building will be called Hamilton Hub. The council approved the scheme at its planning committee yesterday.

Plans will see the existing building expanded to 70,000 sq ft and refurbished to feature amenities, including a gym and laundry. There will also be a communal garden and rooftop extension, which will take the complex from two and three storeys to between three and five storeys.

YPG said it would start on site imminently. YPG Projex has designed the building and YPG Developments will be building the complex itself.

Ming Yeung, managing director of YPG, said: “Knowledge-intensive sectors and higher-education establishments are vital regeneration catalysts for both Wirral and the wider Liverpool City Region.

“At YPG we’re well versed in providing student accommodation to support these industries. We listen closely to our customers’ feedback, and the green space afforded by the secret garden and the rooftop extension at Hamilton Hub are based on this.”

The development will support the Marine Education & Training Centre which is expected to be developed in Wirral as part of the Mersey Maritime Knowledge Hub. Architects are currently being selected for the £20m scheme, which has been given a 2020 opening date, although funding is yet to be confirmed.

The Knowledge Hub is being developed by Wirral Council in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, Mersey Maritime and Peel Ports.

Cllr Phil Davies, leader of Wirral Council, said: “This is yet more proof that Birkenhead is once again becoming the vibrant, thriving town we all remember.

“We welcome developments such as this and, through the new Growth Company we are well on the road to getting off the ground, it will be the next in a long line of exciting developments which will transform Birkenhead’s economy, creating a high quality offer for skills, retail and leisure in a prime location on our waterfront.”

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