INDEPENDENT property consultancy Lawrence, Hannah and Skelton has celebrated moving to larger premises by strengthening its team.

Three new staff members have been appointed including Karl Tunman, an associate partner who has joined from W H Stephens in Wakefield; Chris Batterby, a building surveyor, formerly of Thompsons in Leeds; and Karen Price, a graduate surveyor from Sheffield Hallam University.

The rapidly-expanding construction and property consultancy, moved last month from Blossom Street, York, into a new office double the size in St Mary's Court,100 yards down the road.

It is also looking to recruit a qualified surveyor for valuations and professional work and an administrator-cum-receptionist.

A growing volume of work, particularly on the design and project management side of the business, has pushed staff numbers up to 14 this year.

The new faces arrive as the firm has just been appointed to give strategic property advice for the next five years to the York Archaeological Trust, which owns a numbers of properties within York city centre.

It has also recently project managed new offices for Langleys Solicitors in Lincoln and overseen two residential developments in York - one in The Avenue, Clifton, and the other at Clifton Green - in addition to a new flat development in Huntington Road.

Updated: 11:54 Wednesday, February 02, 2005