Hunt on for Moston Lane development partner

Manchester City Council is seeking offers from the private sector to form a partnership to redevelop five plots of land at Moston Lane, which have the potential to host 120 homes, a commercial and healthcare space, and a public square.

Cushman and Wakefield is marketing the 4.2-acre, £25m development opportunity on behalf of Manchester City Council.

Proposals so far have centred on the creation of a public square off Moston Lane and around 40 affordable family homes on a site between Watermans Close and Ebsworth Street.

The public square would host events and markets, provide a new ‘heart’ to Moston, and be installed following the demolition of several properties between Pym Street and Hartley Street, which have already been acquired by MCC.

Commercial opportunities at the public square would be found across the ground floor spaces, along with the potential for a 6,500 sq ft health provider and around 80 homes with a range of tenures.

Under the plans, the existing Moston Superstore will relocate to the car park on Kenyon Lane, and a planning application by the store owner is expected imminently to allow the move.

A successful bidder for the two sites will be chosen by March 2026, followed by public consultation ahead of the submission of planning applications.

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Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “MCC is ambitious for Moston and committed to working with the local community to see the improvements local people have been asking for.

“We have an ambitious plan for Moston and know that Moston Lane has a huge amount of potential.

“The first projects completed over the summer were a statement of intent from the council that we are serious about investing and improving the area. This comes on top of the recent news of Pride in Place funding going into the wider area.”

In March 2025, the government announced its £5bn Pride in Place programme, which awarded more than 35 neighbourhoods in the North West with a slice of funding for town centre regeneration.

She continued: “New homes, a new public square, investment into the look and feel of the area, work to attract new businesses and jobs, and celebrating community pride are also important. Currently missing is a space that creates a proper focal point on the high street, and the new public square will be somewhere local people can come together, put on events, and take pride in their district centre.

“This is only the start for Moston and our investment in this neighbourhood is part of a city-wide commitment to improving high streets across the city, supporting local businesses, and economic growth, while creating local spaces our residents want to spend time in.”

MCC wants at least 20% of the homes across the sites to be affordable, and partners must strive to contribute to Manchester’s 2038 net zero ambitions.

Cushman and Wakefield is also marketing a further three sites: Site one, split across sub-plots A, B, and C, comprises three cleared sites between Hough Hall Road and Pym Street, which have been used as car parking in recent years.

Site two is a block of commercial units, of which the council is working to procure. Site three at Watermans Close has already been cleared.

Each of the plots is being offered for sale by the local authority by informal tender. The council owns the majority of the sites on a freehold basis.

The deadline for offers for the three sites is 12 December 2025.

In 2023, Manchester City Council launched a development framework for the Moston area, which identified key plots and earmarked them for regeneration.