Work to pave the way for 77 new student homes on the former Superbowl site in Lincoln has begun.
Lindum has been instructed to start clearing the site to prepare for the new townhouses.
Work so far has included the removal of shrubs and trees.
Two trees remain on the land after an ecological survey identified they were the only ones in which birds had built nests.
The development will be known as Valentine Court, and will include 469 en-suite bedrooms and a 90-space car park.
Lindum Construction MD Simon Gregory said: “We have begun enabling works on the site, which has previously been home to a bowling alley, the original Lincoln Odeon and then a car park.
“We had a full, independent ecological report carried out by Scarborough Nixon Associates before we started, and this identified where birds had taken up residence. As a result, two trees remain.
“The enabling works are expected to take around three weeks.”
The project is the result of a collaboration between Castle Square Developments and the University of Lincoln.
