Portergate Property Management (PPM) today officially opens Friargate Court, the company’s latest accommodation purpose built for students, post-graduates, young professionals and key workers.
Friargate Court, an investment in Preston worth £18 million, has been the largest building project in the city for the past 12 months and has opened its doors to coincide with the 2016-17 academic year at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
And the ambitions of PPM’s chairman and managing director, Anthony Jackson and Karen Preece, will become clear to the invited guests from Lancashire’s worlds of business, education, civic administration finance and politics.
The Friargate Court story began more than five years ago when Mr Jackson developed a new understanding of the changing face of student accommodation. His vision led to Riverside House, a bespoke luxury student residence in Salford serving an international clientele of discerning, more demanding students and their families.
The determination to think and develop differently to the prevailing student accommodation market was a huge success and led Mr Jackson to take his concept a step further.
While Karen Preece refined and managed Riverside House, fine-tuning its unique hands-on management style, Mr Jackson spent many months freeing up a dilapidated, run-down, but strategic site in Preston.
Friargate Court sits on land occupied by the former Bamber’s furniture store with a long prominent frontage on Friargate itself and enough land at the rear to allow for 244 studios and en suite rooms in different blocks.
The vision has paid off with a beautifully constructed complex that has instantly become the best accommodation in Preston.
Its strategic location on the edge of the Adelphi roundabout is where the University of Central Lancashire is pumping £200 million into new buildings, public realm and better connectivity with Preston city centre.
PPM is aiming the new accommodation not just at undergraduates and overseas students, but also at the growing, yet under-serviced apprentice and key worker housing market.
The official opening today will give Preston and Lancashire’s policy-makers and chief influencers a full tour of Friargate Court’s fully furnished and well-equipped en suite bedrooms in standard apartment clusters containing between two and five bedrooms, a living area and large kitchen.
Large standard, 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.
Anthony Jackson says: “It’s taken a long time and a lot of hard work, but to be able to show people around Friargate Court today is very satisfying.
“Preston and Lancashire need vision and bold new ideas to compete with the likes of Manchester and Liverpool.
“There is opportunity and potential here as we are showing. Our unique philosophy of hands-on management and superior service is filling a need many others in the sector didn’t even know existed.
“We look forward to working closely with the university and with major employers in Lancashire for many years to come to service the accommodation needs of their students and staff.”
Karen Preece added: “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 been receiving 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 from 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.”
For more information on Friargate Court and Portergate Property Management please visit: www.studentaccommodation.properties