Manchester approves Urban Splash’s New Islington flats
The city council also voted in favour of two projects to help the homeless. However, Empiric Student Property will have to wait a while longer for a verdict on its 876-bed revamp of Victoria Point after councillors requested a site visit.
You can learn more about the approved schemes from today’s Manchester City Council planning committee meeting below. All decisions were in line with officer recommendation.
Land at Old Mill Street
- Application reference number: 138763/FO/2023
Urban Splash’s £10.5m project in New Islington will see the building of 40 apartments on a surface car park between Old Mill Street and Lampwick Lane.
The apartments have between one and two bedrooms. Residents would be able to take advantage of 1,000 sq ft of communal areas on the ground floor of the six-storey building. Another 1,000 sq ft on the ground floor would be reserved for shops.
None of the flats would be affordable, although as part of the planning conditions, a future viability study would be conducted to ensure that affordable housing is not feasible on the project.
Glenn Howells Architects designed the scheme and the firm’s retention as architect is another planning approval condition.
The project team for the apartment block included Made it Together, Wardell Armstrong, GIA, BWB, CW Studios, Eddisons, and Roger Hannah.
The city council is making strides to move away from using B&Bs as temporary accommodation. Credit: via planning documents
Moorfields
- Application reference number: 139844/FO/2024
Sumo Developments’ plans for 16 short-stay flats for families experiencing homelessness secured the green light at Thursday’s meeting.
Now the developer can move forward with constructing two linked buildings fit to accommodate no more than 60 occupants. When finished, the short-stay accommodation will be leased to the city council.
The project team includes Level 2 Architects and Q+A.
Longmire Centre
- Application reference number: 140780/VO/2024
Converting the former adult education centre into short-stay homeless accommodation will help enable the delivery of another project in Manchester.
McLaren and Kandans’ plans to build a 215,000 sq ft lab complex by Upper Brook Street in the city are dependent on the demolition of a current homeless shelter, Elizabeth Yarwood Court.
The plan is for the Longmire Centre to replace Elizabeth Yarwood Court and thus enable the lab scheme to move forward.
The approved plans for the Longmire Centre would offer housing for 12 adults, who would also share a kitchen, laundry, and bathroom area. This would be a temporary shelter, with the city council only seeking permission for five years. At that point, a more permanent short-stay accommodation building at 69 Dickenson Road in Rusholme should be finished.
1,000 sq ft of communal space is no substitute for having your own outdoor space in the form of a nice large balcony or terrace you can use as your own garden space to escape from the confines of your flat. Whether this is at the behest of the developer or MCC during pre-application discussions is unclear but either way, it’s not a poor outcome for whoever ends up living there.
By Balcony Watch
It’s the ideal height to include some balconies. Disappointed 🙁
By Balcony Warrior
There was balconies in the initial plans, terrible idea to remove.
By Balcony Priestess
Really uninspired design
By Anonymous
Let’s hope Urban Splash build these flats better than Mansion House or Chips and don’t put flammable cladding on!
By Anonymous
I’ve lived around here in a 1 bedroom flat, no balcony. It’s called going outside. The public realm is nice enough to dwell. This is why it’s important public green space is retained, and the marina is maintained to a high standard.
By Anonymous
* “not a GOOD outcome “ my earlier comment should have said
By Balcony watch
More world class, ground breaking architecture for Manchester…
By Quail
Design by ….. no one , it’s a box and no balconies and 1 apartments worth of shared space, seems to be heading in the wrong direction for the jungle of Manchester home to 80% / 90% investors
By Salford Fred