Albert Bridge House’s fate sealed for second time

Oval Real Estate secured approval for updated plans for the Manchester site that will see the existing 1950s building knocked down and replaced with towers of 37 and 49 storeys and a 17-storey office. Meanwhile, housing schemes in Burnage and Charlestown were also given the nod.

Oval Real Estate’s debut Manchester scheme proposes 800 apartments in the two taller towers and a block featuring 250,000 sq ft of workspace.

Speaking at Manchester City Council’s planning committee meeting this week, Oval’s founder James Craig said the scheme would open up the site to the public, with 50% of it retained as public open space.

He added that the intention was for the development to be “alive from morning to evening”, transforming the currently gated off site into a mixed-use neighbourhood.

The office building fronts the corner of Bridge Street and St Mary’s Parsonage. Credit: Studio Egret West

Plans for the redevelopment of the site have already been approved once before. However, after what Craig described as “significant market changes”, Oval and its architect Studio Egret West went back to the drawing board.

The updated plans approved yesterday feature more than double the number of homes compared to the original version and 100,000 sq ft less office space.

“This proposal has been rigorously tested [and] we believe [it] is deliverable and aligned with the market,” Craig said.

“It is critically more viable and more futureproof, creating a clear path to delivery.”

While more viable than the earlier version of the project, the scheme does not offer a large enough profit margin to accommodate affordable housing.

The project has been approved with a mechanism attached that calls for a review of the project’s viability at a later date.

The idea behind the mechanism is to give the city council a way to secure a contribution towards affordable homes should viability improve as the project progresses.

The project team for the scheme features Deloitte as planner, Urban Green, Gardiner & Theobold, AKTII, Hilson Moran, Hoare Lea, Pager Power, CBRE, Savills, Counter Context, Cundall, Turley, Curtins, and DPR.

To learn more about the project, search for reference number 143164/FO/2025 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.

Burnage Cricket Club

The site has not been used as a cricket ground since 2011. Credit: Ashurst Communications.

Views Holdings secured consent to build 66 homes on the vacant Burnage Cricket Club site off Mauldeth Road.

Views’s scheme features 53 houses and 13 one-bedroom apartments on the 2.4-acre plot, with the flats being offered for discounted market sale at 80% of open market value.

Seven of the houses would be three-bedroom, the remaining 46 would be four-bedroom.

As a condition of the approval, the developer will be required to make a financial contribution towards new cricket facilities at nearby Cringle Playing Fields. Cricket has not been played at Burnage Cricket Club for more than a decade.

Patrick Sheridan, senior development manager said: “Our plans for the former Burnage Cricket Club will provide much needed new family homes to the area.

“Encouragingly, the majority of feedback from our well attended public consultation event was positive and we have been able to help address concerns raised about potential increase in local traffic by adding a new pedestrian and cycle link onto Kingsway.

“We hope this will encourage residents to choose walking and cycling for local trips. It will also improve the pedestrian route to Mauldeth Road station, further connecting the community. We look forward to moving this scheme forward after this positive decision.”

Asteer Planning advised Views on the scheme while Oliver Smurthwaite Architects designed the proposal.

Redmore Environmental, E3P, CBO Transport, STRI, Rachel Hacking Ecology, Amenity Tree, Sports Planning Consultants, Watt Energy and Consulting Engineers, and LK Group each contributed expertise to the application.

To view the application, use the reference number 142311/FO/2025.

Hinchley Road

The scheme will provide 20% of the homes on affordable tenures. Credit: Google Earth

Miller Homes was selected as the city council’s preferred bidder for the Charlestown site and has now been given permission to crack on with its plans for a 106-home neighbourhood.

A mix of three- and four-bedroom mews, semi-detached, and detached properties would be built on the 6.5-acre site.

Miller Homes will provide 22 of the homes as affordable, split between social rent and shared ownership.

Pegasus Group is acting as planning consultant on behalf of Miller Homes.

Edge Consulting Engineers, Ascerta, SHD, and Dominic Cole Landscape Architects also worked on the plans.

To view the application, use the reference number 143085/FO/2025 in Manchester City Council’s planning portal.