Nottingham-based consulting engineers Howard Ward Associates (HWA) has been appointed to work on a major £20M student accommodation scheme on Westwood Way, Warwickshire.
The site of the planned 380-bed student accommodation project is currently occupied by an office building, which has been vacant for more than four years. When works start towards the end of 2018, the building will be demolished to make way for the new sustainable residential scheme to be built.
The Oaks, which received planning permission in April, is due for completion for the 2020/2021 academic year.
HWA has been chosen to work on the scheme on behalf of McLaren Property to provide advice and a range of engineering services, including civil and structural engineering and pre-planning engineering services such as ground investigation, transport planning and flood risk assessment.
Dan Bailey, partner at HWA, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with McLaren Property having worked on numerous student accommodation schemes across the country since 2013 with them, which is why we are very pleased to be working with the team again on this exciting bespoke project.
“This is an interesting residential project within the education sector that incorporates a historic watercourse running through it. The watercourse has dried up but needs to be maintained throughout the development in case flows are able to be restored, meaning it has become an interesting landscape feature.
“Both Coventry and Warwick University continue to see an increased demand for student accommodation, so we are pleased to be able to help fill that gap in the market locally and to be helping to deliver a high-quality scheme.”
The Oaks will feature a number of social learning spaces as well as fitness facilities, onsite bicycle storage, excellent pedestrian links and easy access to local bus services when complete.
Bruce Ruddle, development director at McLaren Property, said: “We are delighted that planning permission for our new student accommodation scheme on the site of 1 The Oaks has been approved by Coventry City Council.
“The building has been vacant for several years and we are looking forward to regenerating the site and providing high quality student accommodation close to existing educational establishments.
“It is anticipated that construction of the scheme will commence later in 2018, with the scheme expected to be completed for the 2020/2021 academic year.”
HWA is also working on a number of other high-end projects in the West Midlands, including two other student accommodation projects in Birmingham, a distribution park and church in Dunchurch, and is currently undertaking roof inspections on a commercial premise in connection with PV solar panel installations.
The firm, whose head office is located on Walkers Yard, Nottingham, delivers construction engineering consultancy services across a range of sectors, including education, healthcare, emergency services, commercial and residential across the country.
