Manchester Life completes latest New Islington scheme
Contractor Graham has handed over Weavers Quay, a 201-apartment build-to-rent scheme for developer Manchester Life in New Islington.
The project, including a mix of 64 one-bedroom flats, 127 two-beds and 10 three-beds, has handed over three weeks ahead of schedule after starting in June 2017.
Designed by architect Buttress, the development features a part 10, part-four storey block on Old Mill Street. It forms part of Manchester Life’s wider development of New Islington and Ancoats, which to date has seen the developer deliver 155 homes for private sale along with 860 homes to rent.
Graham is one of three contractors on Manchester Life’s construction framework alongside Eric Wright Group and John Sisk & Son. Graham is also delivering the nearby Murrays Mills project, which was hit with a nine-month delay and ran significantly over its September 2018 completion date.
Other projects Manchester Life is delivering include New Little Mill, which features a façade retention of a listed building along with new-build; this is being delivered by Eric Wright.
Other schemes in the area, including Sawmill Court and blocks at New Union Street, were delivered on-time by contractors Eric Wright and John Sisk & Son respectively.
Manchester Life is a joint venture between Manchester City Council and Manchester City FC owners Abu Dhabi United Group.
The developer’s chief operating officer Jennifer Bendik said: “Manchester Life’s mission is to redefine the standards of Manchester’s rental market by delivering outstanding homes and customer service for Manchester’s professional population.
“The pace of lettings is a demonstration of the desirability of Weavers Quay and the New Islington waterside location.”
Manchester Life are making a real hash of the whole area. There is such a great opportunity to make it a quality location to live and visit, but they keep constructing cheap as possible blocks of flats to capitalise short term, without any long term vision. They should have approached it holistically, with a proper masterplan. And why has the Dispensary still not received proper funding?
By Observer1
Stop falsely printing that Murray’s mill is only 9 months delayed. It’s over 2 years and counting! Some people have been moved in but there’s still a lot of work to go!
By Really?!
the worst new resi building in Manchester. Just terrible quality.
By manc
It looks like a Travelodge. With people paying 3 quarters of a million pounds for townhouses in Ancoats, this is a poor effort.
By Elephant
Looks good. New Islington is finally coming together. It’s a shame ground floor retail couldn’t have been incorporated.
By ALL
Horrendous.
By NT
Some really bad names all round involved there. Quality will be lacking. It looks like a cheap hotel or a school.
Come on Manchester, you’re better than this!
By Global Warming
Not as cheap and ugly as Redrock in Stockport but pretty close.
By Lenny1968
Just horrible to look at, no outside space for tenants to enjoy and the omission of any commercial units fronting Old Mill Street is unforgivable. Begs the question of who’s really benefitting from the Mcr Life partnership, is it MCC and the residents or is it ADUG?
Why not just drop the pretence that Mcr Life add any value and just flog the land to an established BTR investor / developer?
By Fugly
A car parking grille at ground floor with zero ground floor commercial in this or Vesta across the road. Really poor urbanism.
By Active Frontage
The quality of this is shocking. It looks like a school or a hospital. What a mess they are making of this area. A real shame considering the potential of New Islington.
By Realist