A new centre that will provide temporary accommodation, support and training for homeless people in Hull has opened its doors.

Community regeneration specialist Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) has completed work on The Crossings for Riverside-ECHG following a construction project that included searches for unexploded World War II bombs and an archaeological dig for Roman artefacts.

The £5 million scheme, at Great Union Street, will have 46 beds and provide health services, employment skills training to residents, along with a community cafe which will be open to the public. Riverside-ECHG and local charity HULLHARP will now take over the running of the scheme following the 12 month build project.

"This is a project that we are very proud of," explained FHM's Project Manager, Gary Williams. "The land The Crossings is built on has a very rich history. It has been inhabited by Roman communities and was repeatedly bombed during WWII. This meant that a lot of work was needed before we could even begin the development.

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"We used bomb disposal experts to excavate the site and catered for archaeologists who wanted to carry out digs for Roman artefacts before we could begin to take down the engineering works that were on the site.

"It is fantastic to see The Crossings completed and I'm sure it is going to play an important role in supporting the local community."

His extensive preparation work for the development has earned Gary a series of health and safety awards. He received a commended and highly commended award in the multi-storey category of the National House-Building Council's (NHBC) Health and Safety Awards, and was then crowned as the regional winner for the development. He has also scooped a NHBC Pride in the Job award.

"The awards highlighted how much emphasis we needed to put on health and safety and preparation," added Gary. "This was a complex build with many obstacles to overcome."

The scheme has also been built to achieve high levels of energy efficiency. Environmental features such as solar thermal hot water heating, air source heat pumps, under-floor heating, high efficiency boilers and high levels of insulation and rainwater harvesting have all been included in the design to keep running costs to a minimum.