Manchester Life unveils plans for 256 homes
The Phoenix Ironworks project in Ancoats would also feature up to 14,500 sq ft of commercial space, including a row of workshops geared towards creatives.
A consultation for the proposals from Manchester Life Development Company, a joint venture between Manchester City Council and Acre Real Estate Investment and Development, began Tuesday and runs through 29 May. The consultation website is mcrlife.co.uk/future-developments/phoenix-ironworks.
The Phoenix Ironwork scheme focuses on a plot bordered by Naval Street, Poland Street, Jersey Street, and Radium Street in the Ancoats neighbourhood of Manchester. Previously an ironworks, the site is currently used as a warehouse and storage area.
Most of the 256 homes proposed by Manchester Life will be one- and two-bedroom apartments, but the scheme also includes several three-bed apartments, as well as townhouses and duplexes.
Amenities for residents would include quiet working areas, a lounge, a gym, and a private courtyard. There would also be 256 cycle storage spaces and disabled parking. The nearby Ancoats Mobility Hub would supply additional car parking for residents and guests.
View of Phoenix Ironworks from Jersey Street. Credit: via consultation documents
While residents would have their own private courtyard, there would also be a public courtyard suitable for community events such as makers’ markets.
Manchester Life has delivered nearly 1,500 homes in the Ancoats and New Islington areas of Manchester, including transforming the grade two star-listed Murrays’ Mills into apartments. Earlier this year, Manchester Life succeeded in securing planning permission for 190-flat Jersey Wharf project, located just a stone throw’s away from Phoenix Ironworks.
Manchester Life joint venture member Acre Real Estate is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the majority shareholder of Manchester City Football Club.
This is drastic overdevelopment. It’s very difficult to understand how we’ve ended up with this as a design solution to a site that has such an amazing set of historic features already there. The arched detailing and stone lintels in the wall along Jersey Street, the pitched roofs of the existing warehouses on the site, the scale of the former glassworks building opposite.
This scheme is just cheap and greedy, it’s a just another red brick box that’s too tall for its context. Please MCC push this back and ask them to deliver a scheme that actually pays attention to the detail of this amazing historic place.
By Surely no?!
Get it built! This area of Ancoats desperately needs to be expanded into to help the city grow
By RoughRider
This should have been at least 50 stories to make a real statement
By Giant Skyscraper Fan
I agree with the below comment, the new build element of this site is cheap and naff looking.
By Heritage Action
@Giant Skyscraper Fan is showing a distinct lack of ambition, there. 75 storeys, if it’s a day.
By Sceptical
This scheme is very mediocre. Imagine if an architectural firm like Ollier Smurthwaite were let loose on this instead – they would do something contextual and special with this site. Look to OSA’s designs in Old Town in Stockport to show you how it could be done.
By SW
Looks great to me
By Anonymous
@SW it wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference if a different architectural firm to this on. The quality of the end product is overwhelmingly driven by the developer.
By Anonymous
I think we can all agree the site needs to be redeveloped but it must retain any remaining heritage features. Also the illustration image is quite misleading – you cannot view the full scale and height of the buildings to the north of the site.
By Ancoats resident but not a Manc