Manchester’s debut This City project up for approval
A 128-home scheme on Rodney Street in Ancoats is the first to be delivered by the city council’s in-house housing vehicle. Meanwhile, Southway Housing Trust’s Chorlton Irish Club development is also tipped to progress at next week’s planning committee meeting.
Rodney Street
Buttress is designing the project. Credit: via planning documents
Developer: This City – Manchester City Council’s housing delivery vehicle
Architect: Buttress
Planner: Avison Young
Planning reference: 134154/VO/2022
Manchester City Council formed This City earlier this year with the aim of delivering 500 homes annually to support the authority’s target of 36,000 new homes in the next decade.
The Rodney Street project is This City’s first and will provide a mix of properties ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom townhouses.
The 118 apartments will be delivered across two blocks of eight and five storeys and will be built alongside 10 three-storey townhouses.
The proposals feature 27 one-bedroom apartments and 91 with two bedrooms. Eight of the townhouses will have three bedrooms and there will be two properties with four bedrooms.
Around 30% of the homes will be available at the Manchester Living Rent.
This means that the rents for these homes will be set at or below the Local Housing Allowance level – as set by central government – and so will be accessible to people on full housing benefit, according to the city council.
Manchester City Council planning officers have recommended the scheme be approved.
Chorlton Irish Club
All of the homes would be available for shared ownership. Credit: via planning documents
Developer: Southway Housing Trust
Architect: View Associates
Planner: Iceni Projects
Planning reference: 132708/FO/2022
Southway wants to build 29 apartments on the club’s car park, all of which would be available for shared ownership.
The housing association is working with architect View Associates and planner Iceni Projects to progress the residential scheme.
Southway acquired the site following a lengthy and often bitter sales process that pitted the Irish club’s trustees against its members.
In 2020, club trustees instructed Colliers to market the site for sale. The High Lane plot was advertised as a “prime redevelopment opportunity”.
Throughout the sales process, the campaign group Friends of Chorlton Irish Club complained of being kept in the dark by the trustees and voiced their concerns about the future of the venue.
At one point during the sales process, Friends of Chorlton Irish Club agreed a deal with Hillcrest Homes that would see the developer purchase the site to build houses, while retaining the club as part of the project.
While that deal never materialised, Southway’s acquisition proposed similar terms, including the retention of the Irish club.
Manchester City Council planning officers have recommended the scheme be approved.
