Fruit Market residential development completes as buyers snap up final homes

THE residential development in the heart of Hull’s regenerated Fruit Market is now complete, marking a major new milestone in the creation of the city’s first urban village.

Buyers have snapped up properties in the final phase of the development, which has become a thriving city living community.

It marks the end of a four-year period during which the city’s most significant new residential development in decades has taken shape close to Hull’s waterfront.

The £24m development is now home to a close-knit community of around 300 residents, ranging from young couples and professionals, to families and retired people.

The development features 109 mews-style homes arranged around four private courtyards. Just one property – a spacious two-bedroom duplex apartment with upgrades throughout and a secure car port – remains available to buy. The apartment is ready for immediate occupation at a special quick completion price of £259,995.

The development features a variety of high-quality new homes, including townhouses and duplex apartments, arranged over two and three floors, created on a brownfield site. The development’s design has blended traditional and contemporary styles to create a highly attractive and sustainable community in keeping with character of the Fruit Market.

The scheme is a key element of the £80m regeneration of the Fruit Market area driven forward by Wykeland Beal, a joint venture company formed by commercial developer Wykeland Group and housebuilder Beal Homes, working in partnership with Hull City Council.

In recent years Wykeland Beal has transformed a near-derelict area – once home to Hull’s wholesale fruit and veg trade – into a vibrant commercial, creative, cultural and residential community.

The residential development was kick-started with a hugely successful launch in January 2018, which saw homes worth almost £7m sold during the opening weekend. Construction began on site in June of the same year.

Now the completion of the city living development has marked the end of the latest major chapter in one of the North of England’s most significant regeneration projects.

Richard Beal, Chief Executive of East Yorkshire-based Beal Homes, said: “The Fruit Market residential development has been a huge success and proven tremendously popular.

“From the outset we were committed to delivering much more than just a residential development. We saw this as a unique opportunity to create a new place to live unlike anything else in Hull or the surrounding region.

“Our ambition was to create a new neighbourhood offering the very best of urban design, in keeping with the area’s rich history and heritage, and attractive to a broad range of residents, all enjoying the vibrant lifestyle the Fruit Market offers, with so much to do and enjoy on their doorstep.

“We believe we have achieved that in the Fruit Market by creating a community where people love to live and which sets a new benchmark for city living in Hull.

“It’s been fantastic to see the development take shape and very satisfying to see it now completed and home to such a friendly and welcoming community.”

Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Wykeland Group, which is also based in the Fruit Market, said: “There have been so many high points over the course of the past few years as we have delivered so much positive change in the Fruit Market. The completion of the residential development is certainly one of those.

“Our vision for the Fruit Market is to create a unique and vibrant quarter where people live, work and play, so the residential element is a key part of the overall regeneration picture.

“Having hundreds of people living in the Fruit Market adds to the very strong sense of community and contributes to the vitality of the area. It also means the shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and galleries in the Fruit Market have a community of customers on tap.

“It’s great to see such a diverse range of residents embracing urban living and everything the Fruit Market has to offer.”

Among the final buyers in the Fruit Market is Amby Ezem, 28, who moved into her two-bedroom apartment in Finkle Quarter, the final phase of the development, in September last year.

Now, with support from her family, she has invested in a three-bedroom townhouse, also in Finkle Quarter, which she has rented out to tenants through Beal’s sister property management company Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Developments (YLD).

Amby, a pharmacist, said: “I heard about this development through a friend who lives in the Fruit Market and the location is just perfect. There is so much to do here.

“The Fruit Market has everything I need and I love urban living. It’s a friendly community and I look forward to coming home from work to be here.”

Librarian Deborah Morgan and her husband, Professor Trevor Burnard, Director of the Wilberforce Institute in Hull, relocated from Melbourne, Australia, and bought a two-storey home with a loft room in Horner’s Square in November 2020.

Their love for the area cemented Deborah’s recent decision to buy a two-bedroom apartment in nearby Finkle Quarter for her to rent out, with tenants also secured through YLD.

Deborah, 62, said: “We love the vibe in the Fruit Market and that it is so close to the city centre and with bars, restaurants and everything we need close to hand.

“This is an area of Hull that will continue to go from strength to strength and we’re very settled and comfortable here.

“We’ve lived in many different places and this is one of best. It’s a really friendly, close-knit community.

“Buying the apartment is a good investment in a very desirable area. It’s really appealing to people who enjoy a more urban lifestyle.”

Another buyer of a property in the final phase of the Fruit Market is construction manager Paul Moore. He bought a two bedroom apartment in Horner’s Square in July 2019 and has recently also invested in a three-bedroom townhouse in Finkle Quarter, which he will move into while renting the apartment out.

Paul, 53, said: “I chose to buy in the Fruit Market because it has such a convenient central location and I enjoy city centre living.

“The Fruit Market is such a friendly community and everyone here is really nice. City centre living is definitely becoming more popular and I’m really pleased with my investments.”