Collyhurst up first for Northern Gateway
Manchester’s programme for delivering 15,000 homes across the North of the city over 10 years is to focus on Collyhurst as one of its first priority areas.
Last year, the council agreed a deal to partner with Far East Consortium for the programme. The 383-acre area stretches northwards from the city centre, taking in NOMA and New Cross, through the Irk Valley to Collyhurst and will be the largest contributor to the city’s residential growth strategy.
The council said that Collyhurst, where a £250m PFI housing programme for 1,300 new homes was cancelled in 2010 following Homes & Communities Agency cuts, will become a key focus of the North Manchester Housing Affordability Zone, where the drive will be for a mix of tenures, including new council-owned social housing and “a range of accessible housing products for sale and affordable rents”.
A draft regeneration framework and masterplan for the Northern Gateway will be considered by Manchester City Council’s executive in the summer, before a full public consultation.
Cllr Bernard Priest, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We have a once in a lifetime opportunity in the Northern Gateway to improve and develop a huge swathe of unused land within walking distance of the city centre and employment opportunities.
“In doing so we will be able to meet the modern housing needs of Manchester and help build a mix of housing types and tenures to provide a true housing choice for Manchester people – and help meet a huge demand for quality homes in the city over the coming decade.
“We are already in the process of securing additional grant funding to push forward with the first phase focused on Collyhurst – to build new social homes and other affordable housing products – and we will consult with residents around the proposals at our earliest opportunity.”
Tom Fenton, project director of FEC, added: “Through our partnership with the city council we are committed to Collyhurst and the delivery of a mix of homes that will meet the needs of existing and new residents, including affordable housing and properties for market sale.”
