Union Hanover Securities is now looking for a contractor to build its new boutique hotel on Freer Street in Edinburgh: Urban Villa.



The 180-room boutique hotel is due to be built from October and will be constructed using a number of innovative building supplies and construction methods.



Union Hanover managing director Eric Jafari said: “This hotel is a benchmark asset for us. Edinburgh is second only to London in potential for our Urban Villa brand with its mix of corporate and leisure travel.



“Work is expected to commence by October. We look forward to its positive impact on the area in helping to create a new destination for Edinburgh by serving as a vibrant social and cultural hub for the local corporate and residential community”.



Outline planning consent has also been granted by City of Edinburgh Council for a mixed-use masterplan which contains residential developments, leisure and office facilities in which Urban Villa will be a key development.



The project is part of the larger Fountainbridge regeneration project that will see a relatively large number of construction roles created whilst increasing the demand for building supplies in the city for some time. The Fountainbridge District is a £120m regeneration scheme that will be led by Amco Development



Paul Heap, Managing Director said: “These consents are a great result after almost three years of hard work. We’ll now re-double our efforts to resolve the technical challenges of the site and look forward to starting building works on the site by the year’s end.”