First phase of FEC’s Victoria Riverside completes after contractor switch

DEX, Far East Consortium’s in-house builder, took over from CR Construction earlier this year and has now handed over 341 of the Manchester scheme’s 634 homes.

Residents have now begun to move into phase one of Victoria Riverside, which is spread across the the 26-storey Park View and the 18-storey City View, and includes 128 shared ownership homes to be managed by L&Q.

A further 293 open market homes are planned in a second phase to complete the scheme later this year.

Overall, the Hawkins\Brown-designed Victoria Riverside features 634 homes across four buildings – Park View, City View, the 37-storey Crown View, and Bromley Street, which is a lower rise building.

The development is part of the wider, 15,000-home Victoria North, the redevelopment of 390 acres that FEC is delivering in partnership with Manchester City Council.

Hilary Brett, development director at FEC, said: “Welcoming our first residents to Victoria Riverside is an incredibly proud moment for the partnership and a major milestone for Victoria North. This development reflects our shared commitment to delivering high-quality, sustainable homes and communities at pace and scale, underpinned by a true spirit of collaboration with MCC, Homes England and L&Q.

“We’re excited to see life begin to take root here in Red Bank – a place designed to foster community, creativity and connectivity. Victoria Riverside marks a significant step forward in the delivery of Victoria North, and its completion signals the momentum we’re now seeing across the whole programme.”

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said the arrival of the first residents at Victoria Riverside feels like a momentum shift in the project.

“This is a great moment for the Victoria North programme – and it marks a moment when it feels like we are hitting our stride against the long-term vision for the regeneration of this part of our city.

“Alongside the homes at Victoria Riverside – which include affordable shared ownership opportunities – we will also soon see the council homes for social rent completed in Collyhurst.

“This is crucial, because while being hugely ambitious, one of the largest regeneration programmes in the UK, Victoria North is about making sustainable communities. These are quality neighbourhoods that Manchester people can expect to be part of.”

The partnership will be pleased for some positive press on the project after reports earlier this year of a delay following a contractor change.

Citing concerns over CR Construction’s speed of delivery, developer Far East Consortium took back control of the three-tower project, handing it to its in-house builder DEX.

FEC appointed Chinese-owned CR Construction to Victoria Riverside in December 2021, its second contract with the firm following the Gate & Stile scheme at Meadowside.