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The most luxurious student accommodation in Lancashire is ready to open its doors to the 2016-17 in-take at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston.

Friargate Court – designed and managed by the expert team here at Portergate – is a 244-bedroom residence in the heart of the city’s University Quarter.

The complex will be officially opened on September 19 ready for the new academic year and bookings have already been taken from students eager to be the first to live in the most desirable student address in the city.

Our debut student residence, Riverside House in Salford, has provided the blueprint for Friargate Court and it has been a huge success, selling out in only its second year since opening.

Our high standard of 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 24/7 staff.

Prices at Friargate Court will start from £135 for a fully furnished and well-equipped en suite bedroom in a standard apartment 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 our own website – www.friargatecourt.com – or through the  Property Place in Manchester.

The £18 million investment in student living in Preston is being overseen by our managing director Karen Preece. She says: “We are excited to be taking bookings at Friargate Court as we have been inundated with 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.

“Friargate Court will be setting a very high standard for student accommodation and that can only be good for UCLan as it aims to attract the best students from around the world.”

Here at Portergate we pride ourselves on the quality and levels of service and support residents at our hotel-class properties receive once they move in and recruitment is underway for the best staff to run the residence.

As Karen says: “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.”

Lancashire’s first bespoke accommodation aimed at apprentices, first-time employees and key workers is set to open in Preston in September.

By providing modern, affordable homes for young workers, the development company behind the newly built £18 million residential complex in the city’s University Quarter is looking to help halt the ‘brain drain’ affecting efforts to revitalise the region’s economy.

There is growing concern in Lancashire about the impact of people in their twenties leaving the region for the south east.

New research from consultancy KPMG has revealed the number of 25-34 year olds in Lancashire fell by more than 10 per cent between 1993 and 2013.

And there are fears the exodus of young workers from the North of England will impede efforts to establish the burgeoning Northern Powerhouse economic regeneration project.

Portergate, the North West-based property firm behind Friargate Court, says 63 of its apartments and studios in the new development will cater for the demand for post-college and university housing for young people who are starting their working lives.

Company bosses believe the availability of quality, affordable student-style accommodation could be one of the key factors in helping to keep young people in the area once their studies are completed.

The accommodation is also aimed at apprentices and young workers at the new Lancashire Enterprise Zone, which will form a centre of excellence for high technology manufacturing, generating wealth-creating benefits for the whole county.

It aims to create 6,000 highly skilled jobs, plus a further 5,000 to 7,000 in the local supply chain. Advanced manufacturing and aerospace firms such as BAE Systems also have expanding apprenticeship programmes aimed at attracting talent to the sector.

Friargate Court is an £18 million mixed use development on Friargate, next to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), with key worker accommodation, student apartments and shops and cafes.

It will be managed 24/7 by Portergate Property Management with a daytime accommodation manager, concierge, housekeepers, on-site maintenance and overnight manned security all included in the rental.

Karen Preece, Portergate’s managing director, says: “We have a lot of experience in the student accommodation sector and we know there is a demand for young people to continue their student lifestyle once they start their working lives.

“We hope that by offering this type of accommodation we will help persuade more young people to remain in the area once their studies are over. We also hope apprentices and key workers will be attracted by the lifestyle we can offer them in the heart of the city.

“Many are simply not ready or able to buy a home or move into more traditional property types. They have grown up with shared student accommodation and like it.

“What we offer over and above the norm is secure, well-managed, high spec homes they can live in for as long as they want hassle-free and concentrate on making a success of their working and personal lives.

“It’s a smart way for young people to manage the stresses of modern life and it will be a big success. We believe we are creating an entirely new sector in the UK housing market.”

The complex is being finished over the summer by Preston-based Eric Wright Construction ready for the autumn. Enquiries and bookings are already being taken from young people eager to be the first to live in the most desirable new address in the city.

Portergate’s debut residence, Riverside House in Salford, has 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, key workers and apprentices looking for a more than basic student or post-graduate living style, as well as their parents who welcome the care and attention offered by the staff.

<img class="size-medium wp-image-1713 alignleft" src="http://studentaccommodation.properties/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160712_144554-300×83.jpg" alt="20160712_144554" width="300" height="83" srcset="http://studentaccommodation.properties/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160712_144554-300×83.jpg 300w, http://studentaccommodation.properties/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160712_144554-768×212.jpg 768w, http://studentaccommodation my site.properties/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160712_144554.jpg 1024w, http://studentaccommodation.properties/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160712_144554-940×260.jpg 940w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />Prices at Friargate Court will start from £135 for a fully furnished and well-equipped en suite room in a standard apartment containing between two and five bedrooms, a living area and large kitchen.

Large standard, superior and studio apartments are available to rent now through Portergate’s own website – www.friargatecourt.com – or through the joint agents, the Property Place in Manchester and a Preston-based agent.

Karen Preece adds: “We are excited to be taking bookings at Friargate Court; we have been inundated with enquiries from both the UK and from overseas students from all parts of the world.

“Preston is a vibrant, popular city attracting young people from all walks of life and the university next door to Friargate Court has ambitious plans for making its campus even better.

“Friargate Court will be setting a very high standard for its accommodation and that can only be good for Preston and Lancashire and its employers aiming to attract workers.”

Portergate prides itself on the quality and levels of service and support 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 young people, as well as their parents, who expect their sons and daughters to live in well designed, safe accommodation while they make a home away from home.

“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.”

Paul Walton, director of PWA Planning, a Preston-based town planning and development consultancy, said: “Intermediate housing, which can bridge the gap between student accommodation and more traditional market housing, has a crucial part to play in the economic success of Preston, be this housing intended to provide accommodation for workers in key services, or transitional accommodation for recent graduates or apprentices.

“The latter is something which is key to a city like Preston, where the retention of recent graduates, particularly from UCLan, is crucial to assisting in limiting the movement of talent towards the perceived riches of the South East region and even the bigger cities of the North West.”

Notes To Editors

For more information, interviews and images, please contact Neil Thornton:

1. neil@thorntonmedia.co.uk
2. +44 (0)7852 334 343

www.thorntonmedia.co.uk

Student accommodation expert Portergate is launching a recruitment drive to create the team that will manage and operate its new £18 million development in the heart of Preston.

The new recruits will deliver the group’s boutique hotel-style service at Friargate Court once it opens its doors to welcome students at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) later this year.

The 244-bedroom development, which is helping kick-start the regeneration of Friargate, is also aimed at employees in Preston’s high-tech manufacturing sector and Lancashire’s new Enterprise Zone.

Vacancies exist for a range of positions from housekeeping to concierge. Initial interviews for the posts will take place during the summer. Portergate is looking to build up a 10-strong team of highly-committed workers.

Portergate Property Management (PPM) has already made its first staff appointments at Friargate as it looks to create its Preston team.

Elaine Mason will be the development’s accommodation manager and Steven Dyson will be in charge of maintenance. Both will also carry out the same role at Portergate’s highly-successful flagship Riverside House student accommodation in Salford.

Elaine, from Lytham, brings with her a wealth of experience in the hotel and education sectors, including life as housemistress at a boarding school for girls. She has also worked for hotel groups across the UK.

Steven, from south Manchester, is experienced in a whole host of trades – from electrics and plumbing to joinery – which are ideal in fulfilling the role of ensuring both Portergate developments are properly looked after.

Work is continuing to complete the construction of Friargate Court, which sits near the city’s University Quarter, and the recruitment process is being timed to coincide with the final stages leading to its official opening.

Portergate prides itself on the quality and levels of service and support residents at its hotel-class properties receive once they move in.

Managing Director Karen Preece said: “Our recruitment process will get underway shortly. We’re looking for people who bring the right sort of experience and attitude, who understand the ethos and values of our business.

“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 hotel-class accommodation while they enjoy their higher education.

“Everyone who works at Portergate is very passionate about what it does, with a total commitment to quality and that’s what the team we will be recruiting at Friargate will deliver.”

The Friargate development is part of Portergate’s ambitious North West expansion plans. It is currently under construction by the Preston-based Eric Wright group and is scheduled to be completed in the autumn.

Portergate’s successful Riverside House student accommodation in Salford has been a major success story and welcomes students from across the globe.

Ambitious plans for the £9 million second phase of the acclaimed Riverside House development in Salford have been given the green light by city planners.

Portergate Developments has got the go-ahead to create 45 luxury one, two and three bedroom apartments, along with a convenience store and café on a prime site, next to its successful student accommodation building on the banks of the River Irwell.

The apartments, many with balconies and river views, will be managed by Portergate’s property management arm and are aimed at young professionals, key workers and first time buyers.

The project will become the only bespoke private apartment residence, including a number of duplex apartments, on the stretch of the Irwell that leads directly into Manchester’s Cathedral Quarter and main shopping district.

The café will be located on the first floor of the development to give it river views. The plan also involves a central landscaped courtyard along with improvements to the riverside walkway and secure car parking for residents.

Anthony Jackson, chairman of Portergate Developments, believes Phase II of Riverside, on a vacant site backing onto St Simon Street, will also play another key role in the continued regeneration of the area, providing much needed homes for ambitious young people in the city.

The development, next to Riverside House’s popular boutique-style student accommodation, has been designed by leading North West architectural practice Studio KMA.

Work on the development will now get underway later this year with building work scheduled for completion in 2017.

Anthony Jackson said: “Riverside House has been a major success story for us. Students from across the world enjoy the experience of living here and the demand for these apartments is testament to the quality of the accommodation and the service provided.

“We’re very excited by the next phase of Riverside which promises to be even more successful, with well-designed, prestigious apartments aimed at graduates, young professionals and key workers.

“Salford City Council planners agreed with us there is strong demand for this stylish brand of city living in the area.

“And, coupled with the strong retail and restaurant offering, we believe this development at Riverside is something the area is crying out for.

“We’re also already seeing a lot of interest in this second phase from existing and new investors and our aim is to deliver a quality building that is as stylish and welcoming as Riverside House.

Andrew Titterton, director of Oldham-based Studio KMA, said: “The new development will replace a vacant depot site with a high quality residential-led mixed use development.

“It will also improve the pedestrian link between St Simon Street and the River Irwell, which will benefit people living in the area.

“The aim of our design was to provide further choice to apartment living in Salford. The development is made up of both single and dual aspect accommodation, a number of which are duplex layouts.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing our plans developed into vibrant, much needed homes for young people, filling a real need in the area.”