The first images inside an £18 million residence purpose built for students, post-graduates, young professionals and key workers have been revealed.
Friargate Court is the largest building project in Preston in the past 12 months and has opened its doors to coincide with the 2016-17 academic year at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
The 244 hotel-class studios and en suite rooms have been built by Preston’s Eric Wright Construction for Portergate, a student accommodation specialist in the North West of England.
Friargate Court has opened onto the Adelphi roundabout, the site of UCLan’s ambitious £200 million transformation of the university’s public realm.
Bookings for immediate occupation are being taken by the on-site staff who look after residents 24/7 in a superior management style that has drawn praise from students and their parents from across the world.
Friargate Court is being seen as a ‘game-changer’ for the city’s University Quarter and complements the university’s vision for bringing ‘Town and Gown’ closer together.
Already Portergate has reported many enquiries and bookings from students and professionals eager to be the first to live in the most desirable student address in the city.
Portergate’s debut student residence, Riverside House in Salford, provided the blueprint for Friargate Court and it has been a huge success, selling out in only its second year since opening.
Portergate’s accommodation and hands-on management appeals to students who want more than the basic student living style and to their parents, who welcome the care and attention offered by the round-the-clock staff.
Friargate Court features fully furnished and well-equipped en suite bedrooms in standard apartment clusters containing between two and five bedrooms, a living area and large kitchen.
Standard, large standard, superior and studio apartments are also available to rent now through Portergate’s own website – www.friargatecourt.com – or through the Property Place in Manchester and local agents Martin & Co.
Portergate’s £18 million investment in student living in Preston is being overseen by managing director Karen Preece. She says: “We are thrilled to have opened Friargate Court and welcomed our first residents at an exciting time for Preston and the university.
“For now, we have some excellent offers for the best accommodation in the city and we have seen enquiries from both the UK and all parts of the world.
“UCLan is a vibrant, popular university, attracting students from all walks of life and the university has ambitious plans for making the campus even better.
“There are also many young people from all walks of life starting out on their careers and we can cater for them too.
“Friargate Court has now set the bar very high for high class accommodation and we are changing the game by also taking bookings from graduates, young professionals and key workers who love this style of city living.”
Portergate prides itself on the quality and levels of service and supports residents at its hotel-class properties receive once they move in and recruitment is underway for the best staff to run the residence.
Karen continued: “The tremendously high standards Portergate sets reflect the demands and expectations of today’s students, and in particular their parents, who expect their sons and daughters to live in well designed, safe accommodation while they enjoy their higher education.
“Everyone who works at Portergate is very passionate about what we do, with a total commitment to quality and that’s what the new team we will be recruiting at Friargate Court will deliver.”
John Wilson, managing director at Eric Wright Construction, concluded: “We are well versed in delivering student accommodation schemes, but to build one on our home turf and of such high quality makes this project special.
“UCLan is a gem in Lancashire’s crown and we’re proud to continue our relationship with the institution which started 13 years ago.”
