November start set for YPG student scheme

YPG Developments has said it will start on site with the construction of a 10-storey student accommodation scheme in Liverpool’s New Islington in November, and is acting as contractor for the £17.5m project.

Last month YPG was granted planning permission for the development of 218 student studios, on an L-shaped site around a petrol station on Devon Street. The architect is Smith Young and Knight Frank is the planner. The first residents are due to move in in March 2019.

The scheme is next to the emerging Knowledge Quarter, and the Fabric District.

YPG said it has a development pipeline of £180m across the country, although is yet to complete a scheme in Liverpool. It recently emerged that the business is partnering with The Contact Company to deliver a 45,000 sq ft call centre on Kings Dock.

Ming Yeung, managing director of YPG, said: “Islington has been an unremarkable part of the city for decades now but, as part of the expanded Knowledge Quarter, is undergoing a fabulous renaissance. We estimate that more than 2,000 new apartments have either been built in the area in the last year, are under construction or in the pipeline.

“Its proximity to the new Royal Liverpool Hospital and the universities, as well as assets such as new Sensor City development and the new £1bn Paddington Village scheme, make it an attractive opportunity for developers and, more importantly, an attractive destination for young, usually highly skilled, people either working or studying in the city’s knowledge economy.

“Our development is one of a number which will see existing poor quality industrial and storage buildings being replaced by high quality residential, leisure and retail space. It’s great to see an entirely new city district emerging and meeting the needs of our new economy.”