Business newsline by Tony Seymour

An established property development company, responsible for the £50 million showpiece Hartlepool Marina and Teesdale Business Park, is expanding into York.

Woodsmill: residential units planned by Mandale

Hartlepool-based Mandale Properties Ltd has bought the Scottish & Heritable Mill building (Woodsmill) in Skeldergate from PD Smith Holdings. The building is adjacent to the 80-bedroomed "tourist budget" Queen's Hotel currently being built by PD Smith, previously known for its nursing homes at Strensall and Wigginton.

The Skeldergate site was originally purchased by international property consultants DTZ Debenham Thorpe for £1.3 million from the receivers of the Scottish Heritable Trust plc, and subsequently sold on the Grade II-listed adjacent building.

Mandale, which purchased the former Scottish Heritable building, is to convert Woodsmill into 39 residential units available to let. Joe Darragh, Mandale's estate director, said: "We believe there is massive potential for residential and office accommodation in York, and we would like to do a lot more residential within the city. It's no secret I wish it was 390 units at Woodsmill rather than 39."

Meanwhile, Mandale, also building residential and office units at Pandon Bank, near Newcastle's Quayside, has agreed terms with DTZ on behalf of York Business Park, to obtain the Quadrant office park site. Mandale has planning permission to build 55,000 sq ft of speculative offices in a courtyard development, but wants to erect the same floor area across three blocks of three-storey building, rather than four blocks of two-story.

Mr Darragh said: "We are a forward-thinking company committed to designing buildings that are for life, and not just the duration of a contract, and all with pleasant landscaped areas."

"We have a full design team, which considers all the customer's requirements, even so far as furniture, if required. This removes the headache out of office movement."

The first bricks and mortar at the Teesdale Park site at Stockton were set in place in 1990 by Mandale. Nine years later it has an area of around 12 acres.

The company, which bought two sites from the defunct Teesside Development Company, is also behind plans for a national Tall Ships Centre in Hartlepool.

Mr Darragh added: "We are proud of our reputation for providing excellent facilities and a first-class response to requirements and repairs."

The Queen's Hotel was one of the last listed buildings to be demolished in York. A public outcry ensued in 1974 when it was revealed the Queen's Hotel, considered to be one of the finest examples of 18th century craftsmanship in the city, was potentially dangerous, and would have to be pulled down.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.