Building projects from York feature on the blueprint of potential winners for this year’s Pro Yorkshire Awards.
The short list has been announced for the annual competition, which is hosted by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
This year received a record number of entries from across Yorkshire and the Humber as a variety of schemes battle it out for one of eight awards.
The categories are: Building Conservation, Commercial (property), Community Benefit, Design through Innovation, Regeneration, Residential (property), Tourism & Leisure and Infrastructure.
The title of Project Of The Year is then awarded to the entry judged to have scored the highest across all eight. In 2013, this went to City of York Council’s headquarters and customer centre, West Offices.
The development was carried out by York-based S Harrison Developments, which is also up for a title in the 2014 Awards.
York St John Central, S Harrison’s 258-bed student halls of residence adjacent to Hungate, has been shortlisted for Project Of The Year.
The halls, which have been acquired by York St John University as part of its owned property portfolio in the city, were developed by S Harrison in conjunction with York architect CSP – the same winning team which collected four awards at last year’s RICS event for its £32 million redevelopment of the West Offices site.
Harrison has previously completed two other student halls for York St John in Walmgate, and is the developer behind the rejuvenation of The Press site in Walmgate which will provide new offices for The Press team and additional accommodation for students within the city walls.
Also shortlisted in the awards is Jamie’s Italian at Lendal Cellars, which is in the running for the Building Conservation and Tourism & Leisure awards.
The restaurant, next to Guildhall, opened in July 2012 after work to refurbish a previously unused part of the Grade II-listed building, which also houses the Lendal Cellars pub.
Creating 100 new jobs, the restaurant has space for 225 customers inside and another 40 in an external dining area. Original features of the site, such as Tudor roof trusses and exposed brick walls, were retained through the scheme.
The building where the restaurant is housed dates back to the 17th century and was once a wine cellar for the Lord Mayors of York, although the sections which have been taken over by Jamie’s Italian had been out of use for several years.
Also shortlisted for the Tourism & Leisure award is the University of York’s cycleway.
Shortlisted alongside St John Central in the Residential category is Moorland Close, a development in Whitby which was built by Easingwold-based developers Mulgrave Properties.
The development of 12 homes on the site of a former seafront hotel in Whitby is the second of Mulgrave Properties’ projects to be shortlisted, having won the 2012 RICS Pro Yorkshire Residential Design Award for The Valley development in Sandsend, near Whitby.
Andy Campbell, chief executive of Mulgrave Properties, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Best Residential Development category.
“This is another excellent result for us, and highlights our commitment to the high-quality, design-led approach we take when developing a scheme.” The second round of the judging process for the awards is currently taking place and the winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony on May 23 at Leeds United Football Club.
Winners in four of the categories Building Conservation, Community Benefit, Design & Innovation and Regeneration will automatically be entered into the national RICS Awards.
Colin Harrop, chairman of the RICS Pro Yorkshire Awards 2014 judging panel , and director of Jones Lang LaSalle, said: “The awards showcase the very best in property and construction across the region.
“Competition this year has been stronger than ever, with 46 projects shortlisted, there is a lot for Yorkshire to be proud of.
“From heritage restoration to the latest in cutting-edge architecture, and from community projects to commercial space, Yorkshire’s talented property professionals are raising the bar on what can be achieved.”
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