Manchester Life picks Eric Wright for latest Ancoats apartments

Developer Manchester Life has chosen Eric Wright Construction as main contractor for Vesta Street, its seventh project in the Ancoats and New Islington area.

The 171-home scheme, designed by Rafael Vinoly, sits on a site between Old Mill Street and the Ashton Canal which currently houses a surface car park.

The mixed seven, eight, and nine-storey building will offer homes for private sale. These include 54 one-bed apartments, 98 two-bed apartments, eight three-bed apartments, five three-bed duplexes, three four-bedroom duplexes, and three four-bed townhouses.

Plans for the project were submitted in April, and approved by Manchester City Council in June.

Alongside Vesta, Manchester Life has two more projects in the pipeline: New Little Mill, which will offer 68 apartments for sale, and Lampwick, which includes 213 homes for private rent. Lampwick received a £25m loan from the Greater Manchester Housing Investment Loans Fund earlier this month.

Manchester Life, a joint venture between the council and Manchester City FC owner Abu Dhabi United Group, has so far chosen from a group of three contractors to build its schemes – Eric Wright, Graham, and John Sisk & Son.

All three are currently on site across six other projects in the Ancoats and New Islington areas.

Graham is on site at Murrays’ Mills, a 123-bedroom mill restoration project, which will complete in Q2 2018, while the contractor has also been signed up to build Weavers Quay, a 201-home rental development.

Eric Wright is also building Sawmill Court, a 158-unit build-to-rent scheme. John Sisk is currently on site at Cotton Field Wharf on New Union Street, which offers 302 apartments.