Latest Bury New Road scheme comes forward
Retail group BOI Trading wants to redevelop a vacant site on a key route into Manchester city centre into 136 apartments.
The clothing retailer has lodged an application with Manchester City Council to create the five-storey residential scheme on a 1.5-acre plot next to its headquarters on Bury New Road.
The vision for the plot, which borders Fairy Lane and is vacant following the demolition of terraced housing in the 1990s, has been scaled back since plans for the site were first lodged in 2020.
That application sought consent for a six-storey scheme with 141 homes. However, the plans were withdrawn in March 2021.
Since then, BOI has appointed THAA Architects to redesign the project, taking over from RGP Architects.
The revised outline proposals include five fewer apartments than the earlier iteration of the scheme. The apartments would comprise a mix of one- and two-bedroom properties, 28 of which would be designated as affordable.
In addition, BOI plans to create around 6,700 sq ft of ground floor retail space. BH Planning & Design is advising the applicant.
- Credit: via planning documents
- THAA Architects designed the project. Credit: via planning documents
The development is the latest Bury New Road project to advance after a period of increased development activity in the area.
Bury New Road and the connecting Great Ducie Street have long been dominated by commercial uses including car dealerships, garages, and wholesalers.
Until recently, little residential development has come forward on the road, despite its proximity to the city centre.
However, The Manchester College’s new £93m city centre campus on Great Ducie Street appears to have sparked fresh interest in the area.
Latimer is bringing forward 461 homes next to the new college campus, while Hilton Street’s 38-apartment scheme next to the McDonalds on the Salford side of Bury New Road won approval earlier this year.
Plans have also been put forward for a food hall at a former car repair centre on Bury New Road.
Speaking to Place North West last month, former Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said he “would flatten” the area around Bury New Road and Great Ducie Street.
The area has seen little investment over the last three decades and is characterised by poor built environment and public realm, as well as a thriving counterfeit goods economy.
The project is a scaled-back version of an earlier scheme. Credit: via planning documents
