Just the job as residents move in to £8m apartments scheme

The first residents have move in to a new 53-apartment build-to-rent development by Salford-based developer Placefirst.

The £8m scheme, in Longsight, Manchester, opened its doors to residents over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Elevate achieved an 85% pre-let figure by completion at the site, which has brought back into use a disused former Jobcentre.

Build-to-rent provider Placefirst began work on Elevate in 2021 to deliver a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bed apartments, with ground floor residents benefitting from private entrances. On completion, the ground, first and second floors are fully let, with just a few apartments remaining on the brand new top floor.

The scheme boasts a dedicated resident services manager, as well as a range of amenities including allocated parking, bike stores and electric car charging points.

The regeneration specialist worked with Project 3 Architects to repurpose the building and add a new rooftop extension, which gives it a new lease of life and accommodates eight apartments with views across the city.

Ian Chatburn, customer experience director at Placefirst, said: “Elevate has been an exciting project for us and our vision of creating a contemporary, high spec apartment scheme in Manchester’s up-and-coming area of Longsight has truly been met.

“We are proud to be 85% pre-let upon completion and enjoyed welcoming our first residents.

“With fantastic links to the city and a specialist resident services manager on hand to support residents, we’re delighted to have hit the completion milestone, and look forward to watching the Elevate community thrive.”