New Cambridge Halls, MMU, p Turley

The project will triple the number of beds on site. Credit: via Turley

MMU plans 2,330-bed overhaul of Cambridge Halls

Manchester Metropolitan University and Unite Students want to demolish the student housing blocks at its All Saints Campus and deliver a much denser scheme to address a shortage of accommodation for learners.

The two four-storey blocks that make up Cambridge Halls were built in the 1990s and offers 770 beds.

The plan is to knock them down and deliver around 2,330 new homes across various buildings, including two towers of 30 and 24 storeys, to make up for a lack of available accommodation.

Manchester Metropolitan University needs around 5,700 beds every year to meet the demand from its first year and international students, but currently owns around 2,500 beds, according to the university.

The Cambridge Halls scheme will feature both studios and cluster apartments and will allow the university to bring more students into the city centre and ease the pressure on the private rented sector, a move that aligns with Manchester City Council policy.

The project team, which comprises architect Cartwright Pickard, Turley as planner, Waterman Group, and Reform as landscape architect, has today launched a consultation on the plans.

The public consultation will run from today until Wednesday 19 February. A live public webinar will be held on Thursday 6 February at 6pm and a public drop-in event at the Students’ Union, Higher Cambridge Street on Wednesday 12 February between 3pm-7pm.

MMU and Unite’s plans for the All Saints Campus are similar to those devised by rival university, the University of Manchester, in Fallowfield.

There, a £400m redevelopment of the university’s Owens Park campus is in the works. Last year, Viridis, a JV between Equitix, Graham Construction, and Derwent FM was picked to deliver the project, which will see 3,300 student beds delivered – an increase of around 900 compared to what is there now.

After zero starts on site for PBSA schemes in 2022, Manchester’s pipeline of student housing projects has grown significantly. The largest scheme currently under construction in the city is IQ’s 1,200-bed Echo Street project.

Meanwhile, there are thousands more units with planning consent, including Student Roost’s 1,000-bed Medlock Street tower and another 2,000 at Upper Brook Street.

A report published by CBRE in 2023 described PBSA in Manchester as “one of the most sought-after real estate markets in the UK” due to a chronic under-supply of stock.

 

Your Comments

Read our comments policy

Thought man met would have had more existing beds than that.

By James

So an extreme hard left and very anti British worker ” union ” is indulging in capitalism . Unite will be making money out of this . The very thing that they are ( apparently ) so disgusted by and totally opposed to . The great deception continues .

By Anonymous

    Unite Students is in no way connected to the trade union called Unite.

    By Dan Whelan

The proposal to re-route cyclists is a complete non-starter and I just know cyclists will continue to use the more direct pedestrian route. Don’t understand how this is even being considered.

By Anonymous

This, along with the proposals on Brook St (2000 bed scheme) surely require a Fallowfield tram line into the city centre (linked to St Peter’s). I commute home from Oxford road and every evening the buses are already full, the queues at the stops usually 50m long at times. Free up the road from the gridlock of constant unsafely packed buses and provide a tram line. Surely with some actual common sense this could be designed and well underway by the time these schemes are ready for occupants.

By Anonymous

I for one will be objecting. You have a continuous cycle route from the A6 near Piccadilly all the way along Stretford Road. This is a straight line. This proposal will sever one of the best cycle connections in the city. The alternative proposed is not good enough. I’m normally pro-development but the scheme could be tweaked by widening the cycle/pedestrian realm, altering the positions of entrances to reduce conflicts or put better demarcated cycle lanes in. Really disappointing.

By Cycle Lane

Thank you to the commenter who thought Unite Student were the same as Unite the union – that made me smile

By Anonymous

Another bubble waiting to burst?

By Anonymous

1:56 pm By Anonymous – this scheme is not in Fallowfield.

By Anonymous

As long as access for the community is kept who cares. Some wild claims of community stuff but mmu lock up all saints Park out of term zero community support more lies no doubt

By Andrew wigley

At last, we have proposals to build student halls within already established student campus areas!

By Anonymous

I guess it’s right solution for MCC too, the MMU campus will already be business rates and council tax exempt, so no dilution of revenue, no cannibalisation of land that could be used for something more valuable to the city.

By Rich X

4:48 pm By Anonymous – Fully aware this is not in Fallowfield, but a Fallowfield line would serve the entire length of the MMU campus (and covers most of where the high density accommodation is). A Tram line purely from St Peters to All Saints would hardly warrant much benefit.

By Anonymous

There’s confidence that the scheme layout will be redesigned to continue to facilitate proper cycling movement through the site. Oxford Road and Stretford Road are two of the busiest and most direct routes in the city. The zig zag through here is a joke. If they’re demolishing the whole thing surely they can put in a proper segregated street for pedestrians and cyclists. In London they wouldn’t dare do this.

By Redrawn

I lived in Cambridge south two years ago. Yes the building was old and worn down but the staff there were amazing the reception the maintenance guys to the cleaning team I was well looked after. 30 storey building seems abit large considering the other buildings around it like the business school and the newish soda building where there is not alot of natural light. Will this build jobs in the area or destroy them depends on who is going to be running the new improved Cambridge halls but I would hate to see these people who fully welcomed me and made my stay in Cambridge south a truly great experience face loosing their jobs

By Anonymous

And yet Cavendish Halls remain?!

By Albert

Poor from the developer to shift the cycling desire line

By Avid Cyclist

Ridiculous to move the cycle lane and cause chaos. How dare the university block our access to the city centre. Arrogance personified.

By Jayne

I work locally / walk this route as a pedestrian and run the gauntlet on a daily basis trying to dodge cyclists racing through this area. Its an accident waiting to happen so I welcome these proposals to make it safer. Surely its not the end of the world to turn a few corners to make the journey safer for everyone!

By Anonymous

Related Articles

Sign up to receive the Place Daily Briefing

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Job Field*
Other regional Publications - select below