The boss of a Midlands building contractor say his teams are making good progress on three key sites in the city of Leicester.
Regional director Tom Sewell said the Rugby-based firm is working on two student schemes in the city and the £9 million redevelopment of Wellington House into flats.
Property company Aimrok brought in Stepnell’s East Midlands office to convert the Wellington Street office block into 105 apartments.
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The contract includes demolition, structural alterations, drainage, window replacement, partitions, mechanical and electrical services, internal finishes and external works.
Stepnell has also started on a new £5.4 million student scheme in Friar Lane, for Leicester-based property developer Obstrat.
That includes 90 self-contained studio apartments across five storeys, stepping down to four storeys to make a more natural transition between the block and existing buildings next door.
Because the site is in the Greyfriars conservation area, Stepnell worked with the University of Leicester Archaeological Services to carry out archaeological investigations before works could begin in order to preserve the Roman and medieval remains below.
Mr Sewell said: “We’re extremely excited about making substantial progress on three great residential projects across Leicester.
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“The national housing shortage is currently a big focus for the construction sector, so helping to expand the Midland’s residential offering is something we’re very proud of and hope to keep doing in the future.
“Despite being built to serve the same purpose, each of these sites are incredibly unique and have presented individual challenges for the whole team to navigate and solve collaboratively.
“However, due to our extensive experience working on private residential and student accommodation schemes, we have been able to conquer each of these challenges, moving forward with the projects and adding them to our ever-growing portfolio of residential developments.
“Drawing on our extensive experience and lessons learnt within this sector, we are able to provide our clients with real solutions to their challenges and bring true value to their projects.”
Stepnell has also been working on 2 million refurbishment and new-build student accommodation project in Upperton Road – the contractor’s sixth project for Zone Developments.
That includes 46 studio apartments, along with communal facilities including a gym, cinema room, common room, management office, study pods and laundry room.
Zone Developments director Neil Thakkar said: “We have worked closely with Stepnell on a number of purpose-built luxury student accommodation schemes across Leicester and it never fails to deliver high-quality builds.
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“Not only are the team committed to displaying professionalism, experience and quality, they are also able to navigate difficult situations and find solutions to problems during the course of construction.
“We value Stepnell’s expertise in the residential sector very highly and look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Tom Sewell said: “All of the challenges that we have faced – along with the obvious restrictions faced while working on site throughout the Covid-19 pandemic – have only allowed us to excel even further and refine our skills as a leading residential provider both in the East Midlands and nation-wide.
“The pandemic has further demonstrated to us and our clients how adaptable and solution focused our staff and supply chain are.”