YORK’S new £32 million council headquarters has claimed four accolades at a Yorkshire awards ceremony which saw it hailed as an example to the property world.

The transformation of former railway station West Offices into City of York Council’s new home led to it playing the starring role at the 2013 Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Pro-Yorkshire Awards last night.

It beat 40 rivals to a host of gongs.

As well as being named overall Project Of The Year in the face of “extremely tough competition”, the scheme won the building conservation, commercial property and design and innovation categories.

The revamp of West Offices, which opened last month and houses the council’s customer contact centre and 1,400 staff, was led by York-based S Harrison Developments.

It has seen the authority cut the number of buildings it occupies from 17 to two in a move it says will save about £17 million over 25 years.

The scheme’s triumph means it will now be entered in the national RICS awards.

Meanwhile, Langwith College on the University of York’s Heslington East campus, a new hall of residence for 650 students, was named the best scheme in the residential category at the Leeds ceremony, hosted by architect George Clarke, who has worked on Channel 4 series The Restoration Man.

Commenting on the West Offices scheme, Colin Harrop, director of real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle and the chair of the judging panel, said: “The team behind the project overcame a number of challenges in terms of preserving the original building while bringing it back to life.

“Thanks to the excellent team effort, the headquarters is now a leading example of constructive conservation in practice, which the building industry can learn from.”

Judges praised the “innovative” design of Langwith College’s student accommodation, saying the building was a “careful balance” of “striking modern architecture” which echoed its countryside setting.

They said: “It will provide students with the experience of an independent city lifestyle with the security and amenities of an exciting campus environment.”