Manchester pushes on with £33m Ancoats package

Work will get under way this year on the revitalisation of public spaces and infrastructure in the area, a set of works largely funded by Homes England.

A consultation process earlier this year found broad support for the plan to enhance the area and build the much-talked-about Ancoats Mobility Hub, hailed by the city as a UK-first.

Current projects, many led by the Manchester Life vehicle where MCC is a partner with Abu Dhabi United, are bringing forward 1,500 homes in the area, leading to calls for improvements to green space, along with new walking routes.

Housing body Homes England has committed £28.1m to this project, while £4.7m has been allocated by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority through the Brownfield Housing Fund. MCC said, “it is envisaged a greatly enhanced environment will be in place by early 2026”.

According to MCC, it has also been estimated that the funding secured will lever in additional private investment of around £450m for the delivery of the 1,500 homes as well as additional privately funded works.

The fund will enhance green spaces and routes around the This City Rodney Street development, which will deliver 128 new homes with 30% at the Manchester Living Rent.

This is part of the council’s wider housing target to deliver more than 36,000 new homes by 2032, 10,000 of which will be at the Manchester Living Rent.

Regarding the wider development, Ancoats Green is intended to be the “green heart” of the future neighbourhood with new planting and areas for recreation and rest, as well as offering clear walking routes to Jersey Street and the Rochdale Canal.

The scheme will also protect existing green space as well as increase the number of trees planted in the area. The public realm strategy for Ancoats, signed off by the council in March, was drawn up by Civic Engineers and Planit-IE.

Consented in July 2021, the mobility hub will provide EV charging points, local car and bike clubs, a cycle hub, café and delivery hub for the local area, and will sit within a public plaza linked directly with an enhanced Ancoats Green.

The city will hope for a better reception for its Ancoats scheme than it received over the £9.1m Great Ancoats Street enhancement programme in 2020, a programme that drew heavy criticism.

 The four key principles underlining the strategy are: 

• Establishing Ancoats Green as a green heart to the neighbourhood: creating a multi-functional space that fosters a sense of community.
• Extend this green character to streets and spaces: Creating a coherent network of streets and public spaces, using green streets to encourage active travel and integrate green infrastructure.
• Rebalancing movement towards active travel: establishing a new people-focused street network, reducing the dominance of vehicles in the street, including measures to reduce rat running.
• Enhance the industrial heritage of the area and the character of the Conservation Area: guiding design that captures, celebrates and compliments the industrial heritage of the area, with consideration for materials, surfaces, and street furniture.

Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “As the Council looks to improve our neighbourhoods and drive positive development it is essential that we look at the whole picture on what makes an attractive and liveable community. 

“The strategy in place for Ancoats is the realisation of our ambitions to promote active travel, increase the amount of green space and have sustainable housing at the heart of our communities. 

“The historic layout of Ancoats, with its rigid streets bordered by old mill buildings have to some extent determined the way the area has developed. However, by putting people first, and placing the needs of pedestrians at the heart of this plan we hope that this can set a benchmark for future development.” 

Sophie White, Homes England’s director of infrastructure funding said: “We are committed to working with ambitious local authority partners seeking to meet their local housing needs through delivery of key infrastructure. 

“Our multimillion-pound funding will allow Manchester City Council to deliver much-needed public realm and the innovative Ancoats mobility hub to encourage the use of sustainable travel modes.

“This investment will help to unlock critical housing sites in Ancoats and support the Council to achieve their wider housing targets.”