Manchester progresses council house development company

The future of Manchester and development beyond the city fringe into fast-growing towns were the topics of conversation at a special roundtable hosted by JMW Solicitors.

Oldham Council is to launch a £2.4m tender for a contractor to redevelop Royton Town Hall, after increasing the budget for the project by almost a third to £2.9m, and completing an extensive consultation.

Developers in Salford face stricter requirements to increase social value from their schemes, including having to submit a 'social value strategy' and contribute more towards affordable housing, according to the draft Local Plan, due for consultation from this month.

This year will see fresh services launched including a development map to complement news stories and branded content production for partners.

Salford City Council is set to ask for an increase in developers' Section 106 contributions to open space and education, as well as upping the percentage of affordable housing required as part of residential projects, at its cabinet meeting later this week.

Manchester is set for a period of major growth in all sectors, including its population, housing, and offices over the next decade-and-a-half according to the city council's annual State of the City report.

Controversial schemes in central Manchester at 20-36 High Street and Central Retail Park both secured approval at yesterday's planning committee, despite vocal challenges from the gallery and councillors.

The Christie's development of the fire-damaged Paterson Building is set to be approved by Manchester City Council next week, along with a Malmaison hotel at Princess Street and a scaled-down student housing proposal at Cambridge Street.

Oldham’s head of planning Stephen Irvine has been suspended amid claims of “gross misconduct”, with the borough's Liberal Democrat leader calling for an investigation as to whether the allegations focus on two controversial planning applications, including one by Russell Homes at Knowls Lane.