Construction work has begun on a £16 million student accommodation development in Aberdeen.

Focused on sustainability and technology this next generation of student accommodation will meet the needs of the newest university generation.

The development is located on the former tyre depot at the corner of Willowbank Road and Hardgate and will serve both Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the University of Aberdeen.

Carlisle-based Northern Developments has started work on a 222 en-suite student bedroom scheme which received planning consent in 2016.

The firm has delivered more than 1,000 student beds across the North of England and bring 32 years’ experience in design and build delivery.

Aberdeenshire sub-contractor Andrew Cowie Ltd has started groundworks on the site and the project will be complete in the summer of 2018 for September arrivals.

Eddie Ward, commercial manager for Northern Developments, said: “We are very pleased to have started work on the Willowbank Road site and look forward to delivering this exciting development.

“It will meet the demands of modern student living in every respect and will be very appealing to the millennial generation who quite rightly expect high standards and the latest technology to suit their technological and educational needs.

“As a business we strive to use a local supply chain to both deliver the best in class development but to also support a local economy such as that in Aberdeen.”