Canterbury Hall handed over in Preston

Contractor Warden Construction has completed work on a 191-unit student accommodation scheme for Fraser Morgan close to the University of Central Lancashire’s main campus.

The £15m Canterbury Hall development is billed as promoting healthy lifestyles and wellbeing and is located off North Road.

All units have been sold to investors and the building is almost fully let. It will be officially opened during a launch event next week.

Designed by David Cox Architects, the five-storey development features large communal areas, including a roof garden, lounge and cinema room. Its rooms are 258 sq ft on average and include a double bed, kitchen and dining space.

Mark Robinson, managing director of student living specialist Fraser Morgan, said: “This is student living with a difference. The building has a luxury feel to it, but it’s much more than that. We did a lot of research when coming up with the wellbeing aspect of our offer.

“We’ve looked for ways to help students interact more and give them a feeling of spaciousness, whether that’s escaping to the roof garden to do some yoga and mindfulness, or meeting friends in other communal areas.

“We’ve thought carefully about interiors with all the desks placed under large windows to allow natural light and give the students time for quiet contemplation while they study. The dining space allows them to have friends and family come and visit them. We’ve also brought some greenery into the development with natural moss wall installations.”

David Cox, director at David Cox Architects, added: “Situated between two listed buildings, the design successfully negotiates a change in scale from the monumental church on one side, to the much smaller pub on the other.

“The internal space has been very carefully considered to accommodate large living and communal areas. The speed at which these properties were let demonstrates the demand for this exemplar quality of student accommodation in Preston”.

The NHS has taken long-term leases on some of the rooms within Canterbury Hall, where rents start at £125 per week, to accommodate overseas doctors and consultants working locally.

The project team also included Kendal firm Form Interior Design and Accrington-based Glovers Project Services, which acted as employer’s agent and quantity surveyor.