In an exclusive interview with Construction News, executive director Dave McGoff said the company wanted to expand its development of PRS schemes into Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham.

The group launched its first PRS development this year through its development arm Villafont Homes: the 368-apartment £75m Downtown scheme in Manchester city centre (pictured).

“The plan is to build a Downtown in each of the Northern Powerhouse cities,” Mr McGoff said.

He added that the group will “very quickly move on to contracting the other sites that we’re looking at” once the Downtown scheme starts on site in early 2017.

McGoff Group will act as landowner, developer and main contractor on the Downtown scheme, and has already appointed Capita to provide structural engineering and Clancy to deliver service engineering on the project.

The group will also fully manage the development once it is complete, providing services including a business centre, a gym, facilities management services and concierge.

“Rather than building something to sell off, our interest is the business that runs the buildings,” Mr McGoff said.

“It’s about having a business stream that feeds off something we’ve created.”

The group has also launched a further development business, Applebarn Nurseries.

The new development arm will acquire and develop sites for childcare schemes following a similar model of the group’s New Care business, which develops and operates extra care facilities across the country.

Applebarn Nurseries has already gained planning consent for its first scheme in Broadheath, south Manchester, and is looking to expand the model to further sites.

Meanwhile, Forrest has been selected to deliver a £20m PRS scheme in Greater Manchester for developer X1.

Work will include the construction of a 19-storey tower, called X1 The Gateway, in Salford Quays.