University of Hull to sell former accommodation blocks

The university stopped using Ferens Hall for accommodation in 2019

Two former student accommodation blocks are to be sold for development.

The University of Hull closed the Lawns and Ferens Hall sites in Cottingham at the end of the 2018/19 academic year.

The almost 10-acre Ferens Hall site is earmarked for housing and is being sold by Savills. No price has been given for the land.

The Lawns blocks, which are adjacent to Ferens Hall, have a Grade II listing with English Heritage and are to be put up for sale in May.

The university said the decision to stop using the sites for accommodation was due to a shift in student demand "towards premium, high-quality, on-campus accommodation".

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The Ferens Hall site is allocated in the East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Local Plan for a residential development of up to 116 homes.

Matthew Jones, director in Savills' Leeds-based development team said the site is likely to attract a great deal of interest.

"The site itself is in a desirable, open and highly attractive parkland setting and represents a truly unique opportunity," he added.

The Lawns were built in the 1960s and are listed by English Heritage

A university spokesperson said the proceeds generated by the sale of The Lawns and Ferens Hall buildings would contribute to the "development and growth" of the university and its plans for a carbon neutral campus.

They added they were continuing to talk with the local authority, Historic England and the Twentieth Century Society about the sale and development of the sites.

Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society, said she was optimistic The Lawns, built in the 1960s, would find a new use.

"There are plenty of great alternative uses those buildings could be put to," she said.

"They are a fantastic set of buildings, they are just really beautifully put together in a fantastic landscape."