Robertson Homes has started work on a £1.5 million office project to convert a former student lodge into a business hub in the heart of St Andrews.

Located in the city’s Abbey Walk, the 6,500sqft business centre will provide bespoke commercial office space best suited to a mix of small and medium enterprises.

In its previous life, the St Leonards Lodge housed hundreds of students who attended St Leonard’s Girls’ School during the academic year.

However by summer this year, the former lodge building will be completely transformed into a state-of-the-art business centre, ready to welcome its new tenants.

Robertson Homes, which has been working in collaboration with Fife Council for over a decade and invested over £25.1m to help introduce a high quality mixed use development to the town, plans to complete the project as early as June 2016.

John Murphy, managing director for Robertson Homes, said: “This site is very special to St Andrews for a number of reasons. It not only represents significant commercial opportunities for businesses looking to expand or start-up, but also represents the first new council homes built by the local authority for the town in 17 years.

“The Robertson team is entrenched in this development. To be building this new business centre means a great deal to us.

“We enjoy a good relationship with the St Andrews community and I am very much looking forward to seeing businesses enjoy their new office space.”

Plans for the business centre were approved in 2013 by Fife Council after an application was submitted for a change of use of the existing student accommodation building.

In addition to the conversion of the original Lodge, Robertson Homes, along with sister company Robertson Timber Engineering, will add a new two-storey building to the centre which will complement the conversion.

Commenting on the latest commercial phase, Cllr Lesley Laird, deputy leader and spokesperson for planning and economy from Fife Council, said: “I am delighted to officially mark work starting on this business centre that will support small and medium sized enterprises, back the creation of new jobs and foster innovation. Quality office space is in high demand in St Andrews, and this development will play an important role in further boosting the local economy. This is another step forward for us in realising our ambition for Fife to be the best place to do business.”