A TRADITIONAL topping out ceremony has been held on the roof of a major York development after the highest beam was put in place.

Work on the Hudson Quarter scheme, located opposite York Railway Station, is on schedule, with contractors having been on site for nine months.

The Bishop of Beverley performed the ceremony on the roof of one of the four buildings on the site, alongside representatives of the developer and construction firm, marking the completion of the structure of the development.

The site of the £35 million build project is owned by Palace Capital plc, with Caddick Construction as the main contractors.

The Hudson Quarter is on the site of the former 1960s block, Hudson House, which was used as headquarters for the British Rail Eastern Region. It was demolished last year.

When complete, there will be 127 luxury apartments, 35,000 sq ft of Grade-A office accommodation and commercial space, a landscaped courtyard and route through from the Railway Station to Toft Green.

Neil Sinclair, chief executive of listed property company Palace Capital plc, said: “This is an exciting stage in the construction of an iconic development for York.

“The ‘topping out’ is a significant milestone, as we continue to make great progress on the site, which is on schedule to be completed by the end of next year, as planned.

“Interest in both the offices and apartments has far exceeded our expectations.”

Andrew Murray, managing director of Caddick Construction, added: “This has been a very rewarding project that the Caddick team have really enjoyed from day one.

“It is always gratifying to get to the final sections so the topping out ceremony is both a practical and symbolic milestone for us.”

He added: “This was a dormant site but with so much potential.

“It now has a very bright future bringing much-needed homes, office and commercial space into the heart of York’s city centre.

“The fact it is right next to York Railway Station also gives it incredibly strong sustainability credentials.”

The Bishop of Beverley, Glyn Webster, said: “I was delighted to be invited to perform this ceremony and to mark a landmark point in this exciting development.

“It’s wonderful to see the progress being made.”

The whole development is due to be complete by the end of 2020, with occupation expected in early 2021.

The 35,000 sq ft of high quality, air-conditioned office space is being marketed by joint agents JLL and Sanderson Weatherall. The 127 luxury apartments are being marketed by Hudson Moody and Carter Jonas as joint residential agents.