Grey Mare Lane estate regeneration kicks off

To be built on behalf of Great Places Housing, the Bowker Sadler-designed apartment block would provide 82 affordable flats for social rent on a site opposite the Etihad Stadium.

The housing association wants to develop 57 one- and 25 two-bedroom apartments in a six storey block at the Grey Mare Lane estate.

To keep in step with neighbouring two-storey properties around the site, the block will step up from three to six storeys.

Several ground-floor residents would have access to private gardens, while the majority of higher-level apartments would sport balconies. A communal garden is also planned.

The nearly one-acre site is located on the corner of Grey Mare Lane and Ashton New Road in East Manchester and faces Manchester City’s football ground.

The Manchester Bar pub was previously on the site before it was demolished in 2020.

Cllr Gavin White, executive member for housing and development, Manchester City Council, said the Grey Mare Lane estate is “a key regeneration programme” for the council.

The block is the first step of a “transformational programme of housing and estate investment” that will see more than 1,000 homes built, including a large number of social, council, and affordable homes.

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The scheme is part of wider proposals tabled by Manchester City Council in collaboration with One Manchester and This City for the 1,000-home regeneration of the Grey Mare Lane estate.

A consultation for the masterplan for the site was launched in May 2024 and ran until June.

Cllr White added that the community has been engaged in discussions through formal consultation and a local community steering group.

He said: “Sites will come online quickly in the next few months, and we will begin to realise the potential of the neighbourhood.”

The estate is located next to Manchester City’s Etihad Campus. Credit: Google Earth

Helen Spencer, executive director for growth, Great Places, said: “This project represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing high-quality, affordable homes for the community in East Manchester.

“This development has been made possible through our close partnership with Manchester City Council, One Manchester, and This City.

“Together, we are dedicated to transforming the Grey Mare Lane estate into a vibrant and sustainable community.”

SK Transport Planning, Energy Counsel, Azymuth Acoustics UK, Mulberry, E3P, Anthony Nickson Ecology, and Saville Landscape Design each contributed to the scheme.

To view the application, use the planning reference number 142453/FO/2025 in Manchester City Council’s planning portal.