The Slate Yard, the first build to rent apartment scheme at New Bailey in Manchester city centre, is pioneering for many reasons. Devised and developed by the English Cities Fund – a joint venture between Muse Developments, Legal & General and Homes England – this award winning apartment block is the first institutionally funded, custom built PRS scheme to be delivered in Greater Manchester.
It is also the first PRS scheme of its kind to incorporate high-end fixtures and fittings, including SieMatic SC10 kitchens, designed and installed by the team here at Project Kitchens.
Belinda Sewell, Managing Director at Project Kitchens comments,
“Incorporating branded kitchens such as SieMatic in a PRS scheme reflects just how far this market has come. Gone are the days when the private rental market was perhaps seen as the poor relation to build for sale developments. Large institutional investors such as pension funds and property companies continue to see it as a long term, sustainable investment vehicle.
“Of course there are often different financial parameters on PRS developments, but The Slate Yard is proof that pioneering and forward thinking developers can achieve a luxury finish even within the boundaries for PRS schemes. Each SieMatic kitchen has really helped this development stand out from the crowd.”
Phil Mayall, Development Director at the English Cities Fund, firmly believes that quality fittings equal happy tenants. He said,
“We installed SieMatic in each of the 90 apartments within the first phase at The Slate Yard for a number of reasons: The kitchen design blended perfectly with the overall look and feel of the scheme, including our stylish residents’ lounge; we wanted to raise the bar in terms of what people expect from a private rented scheme; and we wanted to provide a product that looks the part and is built to last.
“In addition, the support we received from the Project Kitchens team – from start to finish – added value at every stage. Given their accreditation and longevity in the industry, you know you are in safe hands.”
Belinda concludes,
“We’ve worked with Simon Hourihan and Hollie Reynolds at Muse for many years and it is great to see the team thriving. We cheered them on at the recent NW Insider Residential Property Awards and the English Cities Fund were deserved winners of both the Public/Private Partnership of the Year category for Salford Central and Small Housing Development of the Year for Timekeepers Square. We also supplied kitchens for the successful Carpino Place development and look forward to hearing about their future plans.”
