Former Hilton Garden Inn to welcome first students soon as work ramps up

It comes after residents launched an unsuccessful battle against the plans.

By Ben Hendry

June 20 2023, 12:05 pm

Work is taking place to turn the Hilton Garden Inn into new student flats. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

Workers are in a race against time to turn Aberdeen’s former Hilton Garden Inn into student flats by September.

The seven-storey complex on St Andrew Street closed when Covid struck, and bosses finally pulled the plug that autumn.

For more than three years, it has lain empty.

During that time, the building became the subject of a dispute between the council and developers eager to cash in on the city centre property.

But plans to reopen it as student accommodation were finally approved last year.

And this spring, builders arrived to begin the controversial conversion.

The outside of the Hilton Garden Inn. — The work has been taking place since April. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

Work on student flats is under way at old Hilton Garden Inn

Papers sent to Aberdeen City Council show that the work started on April 3.

Joiners and other tradesmen can be seen coming and going, dumping unwanted material into a skip outside as they form new communal areas for young people to gather.

Hilton Garden Inn with workmen outside, turning them into student flats — The young people living at the new student flats will be just along from a new Nuart mural. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

What was the row about?

The plans came at the same time as similar proposals – with the former Travelodge on Justice Mill Lane also becoming more than 100 student flats.

The former Travelodge near Union Street — The huge hotel just off Union Street is also being converted. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

But other residents in the George Street area blasted the plans for the old Hilton Garden Inn.

They took particular exception to sharing the courtyard at the rear of the hotel with students – raising fears about unruly behaviour.

Councillors later binned the proposal at a crunch meeting, saying the living conditions would be too “cramped”.

But the Scottish Government granted permission on appeal, after a planning expert visited to inspect the size of the rooms – and left satisfied.

Work on Hilton Garden Inn student flats has ‘tight deadline’

The work comes after lenders Blackfinch Property gave the developers a loan of £9.7 million for the project.

They say only “minimal work” is required to turn it into “premium student accommodation”.

The company adds that all 105 rooms will be “larger than the typical studio rooms available in purpose-built student accommodation schemes”.

The hotel before it closed — The hotel seen here before it closed.

David Diemer, investment director at Blackfinch Property, said: “We had a tight deadline to allow the contractors to get on-site, and work to have the rooms ready for the September 2023 academic year.”