21st October 2025 By
Clark Contracts has celebrated the successful completion of a £16m, 155-bed purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development on Dunedin Street in Edinburgh, delivered on behalf of Danehurst .
The five and six-storey development known as ‘The Pepper Mill’, has been designed to provide a ‘home away from home’ for students, offering 155 self contained studios alongside extensive amenity spaces. These include a carefully designed lounge, games room, large communal kitchen where residents can meet and dine, a charming cinema room for movie nights, a large fully equipped gym, a study room and a large library allowing students to study in groups and prepare for their exams.
Sustainability and connectivity were key drivers in the project’s design. The building has achieved a BREEAM “Excellent” rating and features roof-mounted air source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs) have also been incorporated through green and blue roofs. In addition, the development has achieved a WiredScore ‘Platinum’ rating, demonstrating best-in-class digital connectivity to support students in both their studies and day-to-day lives. Given the Developer’s commitment to ultimate fire safety, the building has also been constructed with an external wall system which satisfies the requirements for an ESW 1 Certification.
The project was delivered in collaboration with ISA (Architect), Fairhurst (Structural Engineer), Rybka (Services Engineer), and F3 Building Surveyors (Principal Designer).
Mark Yonwin, Director at Danehurst, explained that “We are very excited to have completed our latest PBSA development in Edinburgh. We have created a space designed for modern student living — offering bright, spacious and contemporary studios with large communal areas for studying, socialising, and relaxing. The accommodation is in a great location, surrounded by supermarkets, great pubs, restaurants, cafés, and bars, with excellent transport links — making it the perfect base for students to live, learn, and connect. We know that many students are far from their families, so we’ve worked hard to make this a place that truly feels like home — comfortable, welcoming, and built with community at its heart and we are extremely pleased with the very positive feedback from the students who live with us! That is why we do this!”
Michael Scanlan, Director at Clark Contracts, said: “We are very pleased to have delivered this outstanding student accommodation development in the heart of Edinburgh. It has been a real pleasure working in partnership with Danehurst and the wider design team to bring this project to fruition. This modern, sustainable facility provide students with a high-quality living environment that supports both their academic and social life, evidenced by the very positive reaction from the students living in the building.”
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