Manchester council leaders have greenlit an additional £5.1m in funding to progress four new developments by its own company, This City, to the planning submission stage. The initiative aims to create approximately 600 new sustainable homes, with 20 per cent earmarked as affordable.
These eco-friendly residences will be located near public transport links and designed for energy efficiency, thereby reducing residents' carbon footprints. The new projects will utilise brownfield sites in north and east Manchester, as well as in the city centre, contributing to the creation of 'much-needed housing'.
The city council's executive was briefed on the authority's overarching goal to oversee the construction of 10,000 new council, social and genuinely affordable homes by 2031, in line with the This City programme. Public engagement has recently commenced on two sites - Hyde Road in east Manchester, where around 150 homes are planned, and Monsall in north Manchester, where approximately 175 homes will be built in multiple phases.
Two further developments include Postal Street in the Northern Quarter, with public engagement set to begin in early 2025 and a target start date on site during 2025/26 for an estimated 130 homes, and Grey Mare Lane in east Manchester, which is expected to deliver about 150 properties.
Masterplanning for the Grey Mare Lane estate has been finalised, thanks to a partnership between the city council, Great Places Housing Group, One Manchester and This City. The collaboration aims to deliver a comprehensive regeneration package in east Manchester, reports .
The first development by This City, located in Ancoats, commenced in 2023 and marked its construction peak, or 'topping out', in June this year. No 1 Ancoats Green, previously known as the Rodney Street development, will provide 129 homes, comprising 119 apartments and 10 townhouses.
Thirty percent of these will be offered at the Manchester Living Rent, with completion anticipated in summer 2025. Concurrently, construction has begun on 50 affordable apartments for over-55s at the former Chorlton Leisure Centre site.
The project includes 47 social rent apartments in one and two-bedroom layouts. Additionally, three neighbourhood apartments are being created to assist those requiring support and adapted accommodation post-hospitalisation.
These flats will be leased to the city council. Over £14m is being invested into the scheme through a combination of funding from Homes England, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Mosscare St Vincent (MSV) Housing.
The development is slated for completion in 2026.
Manchester's council chief, Coun Bev Craig, has proudly stated, "We are building more council and social homes than at any point in the last two decades."
Additionally, councillors have been briefed on Project 500—the city's initiative focused on creating new low-carbon affordable housing across Manchester, executed in collaboration with a network of registered housing providers. MSV is moving forward with a development in Cheetham Hill, submitting plans for 70 social rent homes.
This scheme represents the second-to-last venture of Project 500's first phase, which aims to deliver 359 affordable homes, 160 of which are designated for social rent. The second phase of Project 500 is already progressing, with expectations to submit the initial planning proposal for an additional 164 affordable houses come December.
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