Ardwick Green framework taps area’s potential
High-density affordable residential developments stepping down from Piccadilly and Mayfield alongside the Mancunian Way are proposed in a draft masterplan by Manchester City Council, now open for public consultation.
The council said future development in the area will need to take into account the principles agreed through consultation in the Ardwick Green Neighbourhood Development Framework.
The 25-page masterplan prepared by SimpsonHaugh & Partners, with input from Arup and Deloitte, addresses six distinct “character areas”.
- Ardwick Green Park | Potential for better lighting, play and civic spaces. Potential to reinstate the built form to north and south of the Green
- Community Hub | School, health and education amenities. Opportunity for convenience retail and better connectivity to Ardwick with new controlled crossing on Ardwick Green South and improvements to the crossing points around the roundabout to ease circulation
- Ardwick Green North | Residential core with mix of listed buildings and heritage. Opportunity for new communal spaces and sensitive renewal of housing stock, a green buffer to Mancunian Way
- Ardwick Green South | Fragmented land use, industrial and commercial opportunities, develop brownfield land
- Knitting District | Characterful and historic red brick buildings, warehousing and commercial district. Chance to repair the urban grain in appropriate scale and massing, suitable for mixed-use to provide 24-hour activity and safety
- City Gateway | Link to Mayfield with taller higher density new builds, replacing under-utilised land uses and addressing the Mancunian Way, in a complementary relationship between old and new
- Union Street | Higher density development proposed stepping down to existing residential core, replacement of brownfield land, environmental improvements, mixed-use, local amenities.
Cllr Suzanne Richards, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “Ardwick is a hidden gem, right on the doorstep of Piccadilly Train Station and a few minutes’ walk from the city centre. Add into the equation a big public park, affordable homes and the Apollo music venue, this should be one of the most popular places to live in the city.
“No-one knows the potential of an area like the people who live and work there. And I would urge as many people as possible to take part in the survey. The voices of the local community will be invaluable in ensuring that future development reflects, and protects the unique heritage of this area, whilst at the same time meeting the needs of the community.”
Current buildings, marked in grey, are typically two or three storeys
Ardwick dates back to the 13th century and became a pleasant and wealthy suburb of Manchester, charactierised by Georgian villas around the green. By the 19th century the industrial revolution led to rapid population growth and Ardwick became densely populated by the working classes, according to the heritage study for the masterplan produced by Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture.
Affordable housing will remain a central principle of the Ardwick approach, the council said, “helping to meet demand for new high-quality affordable housing, close to the city that Manchester people can access and lay down roots”.
The consultation asks how the three-acre green at the centre of the area can be better used, and how the community can be better connected to the rest of the city.
The Ardwick Green consultation is now live and will close on 21 August.
Union Street could see new buildings step down from Mayfield to existing properties on Brydon Avenue
