Chorlton Leisure Centre to be redeveloped for affordable homes

The former Chorlton Leisure Centre on Manchester Road is set to be redeveloped into affordable homes and a healthcare facility, while the overhaul of Chorlton Precinct will not come forward before 2021.

The council-owned leisure centre sits opposite and alongside popular bars and restaurants on Manchester Road but has been vacant since closing in June 2015, with squatters moving into the building last year.

A consultation on redeveloping the site, alongside others in Chorlton, was held last year and closed in December.

Now, the council is set to sign off plans to promote the site for affordable housing, predominately at social rent, while a new primary and community healthcare hub could also be brought forward in a separate building on the site.

This will be situated at ground floor level of any new development to give an active frontage to Manchester Road.

The council previously said it would look to sell the site, which is listed as an asset of community value, at market price with “all bids considered”, while the development of affordable homes on the site will be supported by the council’s housing affordability fund.

Elsewhere in Chorlton, the council has also decided to set aside a site on Withington Road for a new primary school, depending on demand for school places.

This site had previously been designated for an extra care housing, but the council said a school would be needed for “future-proofing the impacts of population growth” in Chorlton.

At Chorlton Precinct, a comprehensive overhaul is being brought forward by the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund.

The Precinct currently features a seven-storey office building, retail units, and 200 car parking spaces, but the GMPVF is planning to redevelop the site to feature residential, retail, and commercial accommodation.

The GMPVF will, however, not redevelop the site until after March 2021, and is now searching for a development partner to help bring forward the site, with a planning application expected in late 2019 to mid-2020.

Existing occupiers have been given short-term leases to allow them to continue to trade, and the GMPVF added it was “open to a mix of occupiers including local independent traders and national multiple retailers” once the site is redeveloped. The mix of the housing on the site is yet to be confirmed.

Manchester City Council’s executive is due to meet on 25 July.