Freshers set to check in to £18m student complex

AN £18m student accommodation project in the heart of Preston is ready to open its doors to the new intake of undergraduates arriving at the city’s University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
 
Friargate Court, designed and managed by student accommodation expert Portergate, is a newly-built 244-bedroom residence in the heart of Preston’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.
 
The transformation of the 1.5-acre site is also delivering three new modern retail premises and Portergate believes it will help kick-start the wider regeneration of the historic Friargate area.
 
Portergate’s 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.
 
Portergate’s 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.
 
Portergate managing director Karen Preece said: “We are excited to be taking bookings at Friargate Court as we have already been inundated with enquiries from both the UK and all parts of the world.
 
 “Friargate Court will set 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 globe.”
 
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.
 
Preece continued: “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 well designed, safe accommodation while they enjoy their higher education.”
 
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 Portergate’s own website – www.friargatecourt.com – or through the Property Place in Manchester.