22nd November 2016
Another Massive Construction Result For O’Hare & McGovern
O’Hare & McGovern’s played a key role to help transform one of Belfast’s most iconic buildings into an awarding winning five star city centre student accommodation centre.
John Bell House, formerly the old Belfast Met building in College Square, was bought by Lacuna Developments in June 2014.
It was completely refurbished and now houses 413 student rooms, several study rooms, a management suite, laundry facilities, outside courtyards and a large common room.
O’Hare & McGovern managing director Martin Lennon was among the guests present when Lacuna’s MD Anthony Best was presented with the Best Commercial Development award at the Belfast Telegraph/Property News awards ceremony in Belfast.
The company spent two years working on the scheme which clearly impressed the judges who declared:
“The winner had successfully met significant design, cost, time scale and occupancy challenges to produce an aesthetically pleasing and viable commercial development demonstrating each of the evaluation criteria in detail.”
On the day of the opening this summer, 80% of John Bell House was let to students from local colleges and universities and with the new University of Ulster campus well under construction just beyond the city’s Royal Ave., the owners confidently expect the occupancy rate to be moving towards 100%.
Lacuna specialise in a range of property development and investment opportunities across the UK and Ireland.
The judging panel was headed up by Professor Alastair Adair, the Ulster University’s deputy vice-chancellor and Professor of Property Investment.
With work already well underway on another student accommodation scheme in Bradbury Place, Mr Lennon said O’Hare & McGovern was centrally involved providing new high end accommodation for so many young people undergoing third level education.
He said:
“We are particularly pleased with the work at John Bell House which enabled us to showcase the company at its operational best. It was fantastic to be associated with a really ambitious project and we’re obviously delighted to have attracted the judge’s endorsement.”
