diff --git a/PHPCI/Controller/ProjectController.php b/PHPCI/Controller/ProjectController.php
index 38986c59..1906fb8c 100644
--- a/PHPCI/Controller/ProjectController.php
+++ b/PHPCI/Controller/ProjectController.php
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ use PHPCI\Helper\Github;
 use PHPCI\Helper\SshKey;
 use PHPCI\Model\Build;
 use PHPCI\Model\Project;
+use PHPCI\Service\ProjectService;
 
 /**
 * Project Controller - Allows users to create, edit and view projects.
@@ -39,10 +40,16 @@ class ProjectController extends \PHPCI\Controller
      */
     protected $projectStore;
 
+    /**
+     * @var \PHPCI\Service\ProjectService
+     */
+    protected $projectService;
+
     public function init()
     {
         $this->buildStore = Store\Factory::getStore('Build');
         $this->projectStore = Store\Factory::getStore('Project');
+        $this->projectService = new ProjectService($this->projectStore);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -179,35 +186,23 @@ class ProjectController extends \PHPCI\Controller
 
             return $view->render();
         } else {
-            return $this->addProject($form);
+            $title = $this->getParam('title', 'New Project');
+            $reference = $this->getParam('reference', null);
+            $type = $this->getParam('type', null);
+
+            $options = array(
+                'ssh_private_key' => $this->getParam('key', null),
+                'ssh_public_key' => $this->getParam('pubkey', null),
+                'build_config' => $this->getParam('build_config', null),
+                'allow_public_status' => $this->getParam('allow_public_status', 0),
+            );
+
+            $project = $this->projectService->createProject($title, $reference, $type, $options);
+            header('Location: '.PHPCI_URL.'project/view/' . $project->getId());
+            die;
         }
     }
 
-    protected function addProject(Form $form)
-    {
-        $values = $form->getValues();
-
-        $matches = array();
-        if ($values['type'] == "gitlab" && preg_match('`^(.*)@(.*):(.*)/(.*)\.git`', $values['reference'], $matches)) {
-            $info = array();
-            $info['user'] = $matches[1];
-            $info['domain'] = $matches[2];
-            $values['access_information'] = serialize($info);
-            $values['reference'] = $matches[3]."/".$matches[4];
-        }
-
-        $values['ssh_private_key']  = $values['key'];
-        $values['ssh_public_key']  = $values['pubkey'];
-
-        $project = new Project();
-        $project->setValues($values);
-
-        $project = $this->projectStore->save($project);
-
-        header('Location: '.PHPCI_URL.'project/view/' . $project->getId());
-        die;
-    }
-
     /**
     * Edit a project. Handles both the form and processing.
     */
diff --git a/PHPCI/Service/ProjectService.php b/PHPCI/Service/ProjectService.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ee2ef7b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PHPCI/Service/ProjectService.php
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * PHPCI - Continuous Integration for PHP
+ *
+ * @copyright    Copyright 2014, Block 8 Limited.
+ * @license      https://github.com/Block8/PHPCI/blob/master/LICENSE.md
+ * @link         https://www.phptesting.org/
+ */
+
+namespace PHPCI\Service;
+
+use PHPCI\Model\Project;
+use PHPCI\Store\ProjectStore;
+
+class ProjectService
+{
+    /**
+     * @var \PHPCI\Store\ProjectStore
+     */
+    protected $projectStore;
+
+    /**
+     * @param ProjectStore $projectStore
+     */
+    public function __construct(ProjectStore $projectStore)
+    {
+        $this->projectStore = $projectStore;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new project model and use the project store to save it.
+     * @param string $title
+     * @param string $type
+     * @param string $reference
+     * @param array $options
+     * @return \PHPCI\Model\Project
+     */
+    public function createProject($title, $type, $reference, $options = array())
+    {
+        // Create base project and use updateProject() to set its properties:
+        $project = new Project();
+        return $this->updateProject($project, $title, $type, $reference, $options);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Update the properties of a given project.
+     * @param Project $project
+     * @param string $title
+     * @param string $type
+     * @param string $reference
+     * @param array $options
+     * @return \PHPCI\Model\Project
+     */
+    public function updateProject(Project $project, $title, $type, $reference, $options = array())
+    {
+        // Set basic properties:
+        $project->setTitle($title);
+        $project->setType($type);
+        $project->setReference($reference);
+
+        // Handle extra project options:
+        if (array_key_exists('ssh_private_key', $options)) {
+            $project->setSshPrivateKey($options['ssh_private_key']);
+        }
+
+        if (array_key_exists('ssh_public_key', $options)) {
+            $project->setSshPublicKey($options['ssh_public_key']);
+        }
+
+        if (array_key_exists('build_config', $options)) {
+            $project->setBuildConfig($options['build_config']);
+        }
+
+        if (array_key_exists('allow_public_status', $options)) {
+            $project->setAllowPublicStatus((int)$options['allow_public_status']);
+        }
+
+        // Allow certain project types to set access information:
+        $this->processAccessInformation($project);
+
+        // Save and return the project:
+        return $this->projectStore->save($project);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * In circumstances where it is necessary, populate access information based on other project properties.
+     * @see ProjectService::createProject()
+     * @param Project $project
+     */
+    protected function processAccessInformation(Project &$project)
+    {
+        $matches = array();
+        $reference = $project->getReference();
+
+        if ($project->getType() == 'gitlab' && preg_match('`^(.*)@(.*):(.*)/(.*)\.git`', $reference, $matches)) {
+            $info = array();
+            $info['user'] = $matches[1];
+            $info['domain'] = $matches[2];
+
+            /** @todo At a later date, we need to find a way to replace this serialized data with JSON */
+            $project->setAccessInformation(serialize($info));
+            $project->setReference($matches[3] . '/' . $matches[4]);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Tests/PHPCI/Service/MockProjectStore.php b/Tests/PHPCI/Service/MockProjectStore.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a19f5e69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/PHPCI/Service/MockProjectStore.php
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Tests\PHPCI\Service;
+
+use b8\Model;
+use PHPCI\Store\ProjectStore;
+
+class MockProjectStore extends ProjectStore
+{
+    public function save(Model $project)
+    {
+        $project->setId(1);
+        return $project;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Tests/PHPCI/Service/ProjectServiceTest.php b/Tests/PHPCI/Service/ProjectServiceTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b0ff30d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/PHPCI/Service/ProjectServiceTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * PHPCI - Continuous Integration for PHP
+ *
+ * @copyright    Copyright 2014, Block 8 Limited.
+ * @license        https://github.com/Block8/PHPCI/blob/master/LICENSE.md
+ * @link            http://www.phptesting.org/
+ */
+
+namespace PHPCI\Service\Tests;
+
+use PHPCI\Model\Project;
+use PHPCI\Service\ProjectService;
+use Tests\PHPCI\Service\MockProjectStore;
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for the ProjectService class.
+ * @author Dan Cryer <dan@block8.co.uk>
+ */
+class ProjectServiceTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+
+    /**
+     * @var ProjectService $testedService
+     */
+    protected $testedService;
+
+    /**
+     * @var \ $mockProjectStore
+     */
+    protected $mockProjectStore;
+
+    public function setUp()
+    {
+        $this->mockProjectStore = new MockProjectStore();
+        $this->testedService = new ProjectService($this->mockProjectStore);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @covers PHPUnit::execute
+     */
+    public function testExecute_CreateBasicProject()
+    {
+        $returnValue = $this->testedService->createProject('Test Project', 'github', 'block8/phpci');
+
+        $this->assertEquals('Test Project', $returnValue->getTitle());
+        $this->assertEquals('github', $returnValue->getType());
+        $this->assertEquals('block8/phpci', $returnValue->getReference());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @covers PHPUnit::execute
+     */
+    public function testExecute_CreateProjectWithOptions()
+    {
+        $options = array(
+            'ssh_private_key' => 'private',
+            'ssh_public_key' => 'public',
+            'allow_public_status' => 1,
+            'build_config' => 'config',
+        );
+
+        $returnValue = $this->testedService->createProject('Test Project', 'github', 'block8/phpci', $options);
+
+        $this->assertEquals('private', $returnValue->getSshPrivateKey());
+        $this->assertEquals('public', $returnValue->getSshPublicKey());
+        $this->assertEquals('config', $returnValue->getBuildConfig());
+        $this->assertEquals(1, $returnValue->getAllowPublicStatus());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @link https://github.com/Block8/PHPCI/issues/484
+     * @covers PHPUnit::execute
+     */
+    public function testExecute_CreateGitlabProjectWithoutPort()
+    {
+        $reference = 'git@gitlab.block8.net:block8/phpci.git';
+        $returnValue = $this->testedService->createProject('Gitlab', 'gitlab', $reference);
+
+        $this->assertEquals('git', $returnValue->getAccessInformation('user'));
+        $this->assertEquals('gitlab.block8.net', $returnValue->getAccessInformation('domain'));
+        $this->assertEquals('block8/phpci', $returnValue->getReference());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @covers PHPUnit::execute
+     */
+    public function testExecute_UpdateExistingProject()
+    {
+        $project = new Project();
+        $project->setTitle('Before Title');
+        $project->setReference('Before Reference');
+        $project->setType('github');
+
+        $returnValue = $this->testedService->updateProject($project, 'After Title', 'bitbucket', 'After Reference');
+
+        $this->assertEquals('After Title', $returnValue->getTitle());
+        $this->assertEquals('After Reference', $returnValue->getReference());
+        $this->assertEquals('bitbucket', $returnValue->getType());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/phpunit.xml b/phpunit.xml
index 15bd43aa..0e1d6810 100644
--- a/phpunit.xml
+++ b/phpunit.xml
@@ -20,5 +20,8 @@
         <testsuite name="PHPCI Plugin Test Suite">
             <directory suffix="Test.php">./Tests/PHPCI/Plugin</directory>
         </testsuite>
+        <testsuite name="PHPCI Service Test Suite">
+            <directory suffix="Test.php">./Tests/PHPCI/Service</directory>
+        </testsuite>
     </testsuites>
 </phpunit>