October 2015

Student accommodation provider Portergate Property Management has welcomed the latest stage in the development plan to transform the Preston campus of the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

The demolition of the Fylde Building is the first phase of the 10-year vision unveiled by the university.

That work has been going on just a few hundred yards from Portergate’s own £18 million regeneration project on Friargate, which is now moving forward at pace.

The two schemes have seen a raft of development and building work in an area of Preston city centre that has long been neglected.

The transformation of the 1.5 acre Friargate site will bring three new retail premises and the creation of a 244 bedroomed building aimed at providing Portergate’s brand of hotel-style accommodation to students at UCLan.

Part of that high-quality accommodation on offer is also aimed at post graduate students at the university and apprentices and key workers in Preston’s high-tech manufacturing sector and new Enterprise Zone. The development is scheduled for completion in 2016.

The metal framework of the building is now rising from the ground. Meanwhile the demolition work on the other side of the city’s Adelphi roundabout highlights that the university scheme is underway.

The new campus will integrate seamlessly with the rest of the City, benefitting current and future generations of students, staff, visitors and the wider community.

A key feature will be a re-modelled Adelphi roundabout with the construction of a new public space, provisionally known as Adelphi Square, drawing together the university and its city.

The project is also hoped to spark a major focus on regeneration and business investment in the University quarter with wider benefits for Preston and beyond.

Portergate chairman Anthony Jackson says that its Friargate development is also looking to spark inward investment in the area.

He said: “It is great to see so much work being carried out in this part of the city centre, which really has needed investment for some time.

“The university plans are fantastic for Preston and we hope that the work that is being carried out will spark that major focus on regeneration and investment that will really drive the University Quarter forward for the benefit of everyone in the city.”

There is a new high-flying addition to Preston’s skyline – a 45-metre crane that indicates work is progressing well on Friargate’s ambitious £18 million regeneration project.

The crane has been installed by city-based firm the Eric Wright Group and will play a key role in work to turn Portergate Development’s blueprint for the site into a stylish mixed-use scheme.

The transformation of the strategic 1.5 acre site will deliver three new retail premises and a 244-bedroomed building providing boutique hotel-style accommodation aimed at local students and employees of Preston’s high-tech manufacturing sector and new Enterprise Zone.

The crane will be used to lift the scheme’s giant steel framework into place and will remain on site until the Friargate development is completed next year.

Portergate’s Chairman Anthony Jackson said: “The arrival of the crane is another milestone in our development work on the site, which is now really gathering pace.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a crane of this size on the City Centre Skyline and it’s another welcome sign of the regeneration that we’re beginning to see here and nearby with the University of Central Lancashire’s work on its Gateway project.

“The more cranes you see on the skyline the greater the Investment in a City and we hope to see our machine joined by many others in the future. It’s exciting times both for us as a company and for this historic part of Preston.”

The aesthetically-pleasing retail and apartment complex has been designed around open garden areas while being conveniently located in the heart of the city, only a short walk from the University of Central Lancashire.

Stephen Harding, site manager for Eric Wright Construction, said: “It has taken us a couple of weeks to get the crane in place and piecing it together on site is a construction project in its own right!

“The crane will assist us with our heavy-duty lifting work throughout the build process and people will soon see the steel framework starting to take shape.”

At the height of the project around 200 workers will be employed on the Friargate development site.

Portergate, which already offers hotel-class student accommodation in Salford, has plans to roll its luxury accommodation concept out across the North West of England.

Student accommodation provider Portergate Property Management is celebrating a record-breaking second anniversary for its flagship luxury Riverside House development in Salford.

Riverside’s 242 hotel-class, en-suite bedrooms in Blackfriars Road, Salford, on the banks of the River Irwell, has reached full occupancy’ – and the student sell-out has been achieved in record time.

Karen Preece, Portergate’s managing director, is advising hopeful residents to reserve their place now for both the New Year and September 2016.

She praised the multi-lingual Riverside House team for their hard work and dedication since the development opened its doors.

She said: “The tremendously high standards we set reflect the demands and expectations of today’s students, and in particular their parents, who expect their sons and daughters to live in hotel-class accommodation while they enjoy their higher education.

“I’m proud to say there is nothing quite like Riverside House. The success of the development shows our total commitment to quality in everything we do is paying off.”

The sales success vindicates Portergate’s strategy of providing high-quality boutique accommodation and the welcome it provides for students from across the globe.

Portergate Property Management was one of the first UK student accommodation providers to predict the new market for a higher standard of student living.

And with Riverside House performing so well in the Salford and Manchester market just two years after first opening in September 2013, Portergate is rolling out the concept across the North West.

Building work is moving ahead at its Friargate development in Preston, in the city’s university quarter.

The £18 million transformation of the 1.5 acre site will bring three new retail premises and the creation of a 244 bedroomed building aimed at providing Portergate’s brand of hotel-style accommodation to students at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

Part of that high-quality accommodation on offer is also aimed at post graduate students at the university and apprentices and key workers in Preston’s high-tech manufacturing sector and new Enterprise Zone. The development is scheduled for completion next year.

Meanwhile, Riverside House in Salford continues to win acclaim for the quality of its boutique-style accommodation.

The stylish development is managed 24/7 by Portergate’s professional in-house team delivering security, comfort and peace of mind for students and parents alike.

Portergate chairman Anthony Jackson says the demand at Riverside House highlights the trend among students – and their parents – for quality and comfort. They are attracted by the welcome, security and high standard of accommodation that the stylish development offers.

He said: “The standards we have set in Salford are being replicated in our Friargate plans as our expansion in the North West continues.

“We are committed to creating high-quality boutique accommodation in stylish, contemporary, well-designed buildings.

“As a company we are very passionate about what we do and we are providing new developments that are attractive to students from the UK and overseas and which also add real value to the community.

“That is the secret of our success and it is not only attractive to students and their parents but also to the investors we have from around the world. They can see the value of what we are creating.”

More than 80% of rooms at Riverside House have been sold to investors but there are still 50 units remaining for sale – generating immediate income.

Investors in Riverside Salford get a two-year 6% guaranteed rental income plus a guaranteed ‘Buy Back’ at 5% above purchase price after three years.

For more details of Portergate’s student accommodation portfolio and investment opportunities please visit www.studentaccommodation.properties

Work to create a bright new future for Preston’s Friargate area has unearthed a fascinating glimpse into the historic street’s past.

As part of the pre-construction work on Portergate’s ambitious £18 million regeneration project an archeological study is taking place on site.

And the expert archeology team has uncovered the remains of four early 19^th century homes on Great Shaw Street.

The layouts of the small properties, probably workers’ homes, are clearly visible, including their flagged floors.

Lancaster-based Oxford Archeology North (OA North) is continuing its work on the 1.5-acre redevelopment site and archeologist Jeremy Bradley is hopeful of more discoveries.

He said: “The layouts of the houses we have unearthed are from the early 19^th century and they were probably the homes of local workers.

“We’ve also found pieces of broken property in the area and we’re currently working to use that to date the homes more specifically.

“We’re on the site for at least another fortnight so it could be that we will find other pieces from Preston’s past.

“Friargate is said to be a street that dates back to medieval times and the area has a long history, so who knows what else we will find as we go deeper.”

OA North started work in 1979, first as the Cumbria and Lancashire Archaeological Unit, from 1986 as the Lancaster University Archaeological Unit and, since 2001, as part of Oxford Archaeology.

It now has around 50 staff working on a wide range of commercial, research and community programmes.

The archaeology survey it is carrying out on the Friargate site is taking place alongside the clearance work, which has now seen the old Bambers furniture store demolished to make way for the exciting new development.

The former Blitz nightclub will also disappear shortly as preliminary work on the much-needed regeneration of the run-down area gathers pace.

Anthony Jackson, chairman of Portergate Properties, said work to clear the site was on schedule and construction would start shortly on the first phase of the mixed-use scheme.

The transformation of the 1.5 acre site will bring smart new retail premises onto Friargate and a 253-room building providing boutique hotel-style accommodation to students at the nearby University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

Part of that high-quality accommodation on offer is also aimed at post graduate students at the university and apprentices and key workers in Preston’s high-tech manufacturing sector and new Enterprise Zone.

Mr Jackson said: “The site of the former Bambers shop on Friargate will be transformed, with quality retail and student accommodation as part of the first phase of our regeneration plan for the site.

“Once completed it will provide boutique hotel-style accommodation, not only for students but also for young key workers in the city, where we believe there is a real demand for this type of living space.

“The site of the old Blitz nightclub is part of our strategic, overall regeneration plan for the area.

“It will be developed as part of the second phase of the project and we will be revealing those plans in more depth as work on the first phase progresses.

“Our aim throughout the project is to play a major role in transforming the fortunes of the Friargate area and our hope is that our development and commitment will encourage others to invest in the area as a key part of the city’s regeneration.”

The aesthetically pleasing shop and apartment complex has been designed around open garden areas by Manchester architecture practice Leach Rhodes Walker.