New concept in community living could change property sector

As part of our special focus on the issue of Co-Living and the launch of the Oppidan scheme in the Northern Quarter TheBusinessDesk.com organised a round table involving some of the city’s leading property professionals.

The Oppidan scheme in the Northern Quarter is a first of its kind in the city.

People will live together in a shared space with the emphasis on communal living.

The aim is to create a new kind of living space and tackle the issue of urban loneliness for people who work and live in the city centre.

The event was held in partnership with Oppidan and was held at the brand new scheme in Swan Street.

Today we carry the first part of the discussion.

The attendees included:

Colin Shenton from the Shenton Group/ Oppidan Life

Hannah-Rose Close, Oppidan

Rob Hogarth, JLL

James Sidlow, Renaker

Nina Barker, CBRE

Nicol Deutsch, Slater Heelis

Rhys Westacott, 5 Plus

Victoria Russell, Property Alliance Group

Ned Brooks, Savills

Carl Austin-Behan, VA Clean

Martin Ellerby, Placefirst

Geoff Willis, Craigleith Property

Colin Shenton

There are some very high quality residential schemes in the city centre and the quality is improving all the time. But they are still self-contained apartments that are behind closed doors.

Most people who are choosing to come into the city are doing it for lifestyle reasons. They can live in beautiful homes in the suburbs or the countryside.

People chose to come and live in the city because they want to walk to work, run to the gym, go to the cinema and eat out.

They want to do whatever they want to do but without owning a car. It means you can spend your time enjoying what you are doing without having to sit in a traffic jam.

Community is at the heart of what we are trying to do, and we are trying to achieve that through all-inclusive pricing.

That means people have certainty about what their accommodation is going to cost so there are no surprises.

The second thing we are trying to do is to keep these schemes small. We intend to roll out between six and 12 a year which contain between 12 and 30 units.

So we might produce 400 units a year but we will do it in 12 schemes rather than one.

For now, we are going to keep the concept northern. It is clear that Manchester is the most dynamic British city outside of London.

That makes it one of the top ten most dynamic cities in Europe and the most dynamic part of Manchester is the Northern Quarter.

If you are going try something a bit different and odd then the Northern Quarter is the place to try it. It is the most accepting and dynamic part of Manchester.

We want to do more, we will get this one settled and then we will roll out in Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield. There will be more in Manchester if we can find the right buildings.

What we want to do is grow this from the point of view of the occupiers.

Colin went on to talk about the issue of proptech within the property sector.

Colin Shenton

In its simplest form proptech is about harnessing data. We still live in a world where people make valuations based on their own opinions.

To get a sense a certainty then information is crucial, I think that is what proptech is for.

I have been developing for 30 years, the first thing we built was St George’s House on Peter Street in 1989.

That was a complicated conversion of a listed building in a conservation area and it was a real struggle.

It was a very under investigated section of the market, it amazes me still that the property market has got excited about tech 40 years after everybody else got excited about it.

Most of the super successful retailers in the world are tech based, whereas property is still seen as bricks and mortar and old school.

This is where things like this is so exciting because it is based around tech. We should be embracing tech, it just amazes me it has taken us so long in this industry to get there.

 Rob Hogarth

The arrival of the institutional investors has driven a lot of the changes, developers have had to adapt that changing market.

That is why we are seeing more focus on amenities because developers want long-term stable income.

James Sidlow

From a residents’ point of view people expect a level of management and services. If you look at the journey that we have been on over the last ten years. Not only has the quality improved but also the key adapting to the management and level of services that residents expect.

With our portfolio placing a lot more emphasis on service. We are making sure buildings can last for a long time and have a lot more influence in the buildings around them.

It is about creating a community space rather than just a standalone tower.

Carl Austin-Behan

We have seen a massive change in attitudes in terms of the say that residents have when it comes to managing schemes.

You cannot challenge anything because it is being managed by the people who bought it or by a property management company.

You are restricted when it comes to what you can put on the walls and the people you bring into the building. There is a pass to get through every door.

In the past there was a lot more onus in the past on being part of schemes and buying into a community.