DTZ to head development contest at Oxford Road Station
Network Rail and Manchester City Council have appointed DTZ to find a developer for a major mixed-use scheme on land at Oxford Road train station including the outgoing Cornerhouse cinema.
The site has the potential for up to 500,000 sq ft of development including offices, hotel and residential, together with leisure and retail, on the Oxford Road and Whitworth Street West frontages.
DTZ has been appointed as advisor for the selection of a development partner to bring forward development on a phased basis.
Oxford Road is Manchester's second busiest railway station, after Piccadilly, occupying a strategic location on Oxford Road at the head of Corridor Manchester, with First Street to the west and the new business quarter centred on St Peter's Square to the north.
The development partners said they want to see "the wider regeneration of this part of the city centre; improve the profile of the station and area around the station; create a mixed-use destination and new setting for the station; and improve the rail user experience."
Ken Bishop, senior director at DTZ responsible for the project, said: "We are seeking a development partner with a proven track record in city centre regeneration, preferably with experience in development adjacent to an operational railway line. This opportunity has great potential to make a significant intervention and contribution to the regeneration of this part of the regional centre."
The Cornerhouse will vacate the corner site when it moves to its new base at HOME in First Street.
Surely Victoria is busier than Oxford Road? Or are they claiming it is in “Salford”
By Thomas the Tank Engine
Nope… Oxford Road is actually just busier according to statistics, by about 300k passengers a year:
http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates
By Percy
Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs!
By The Fat Controller
This is one of the most high profile, visually interesting and economically vibrant parts of the city centre already. It does NOT need an insensitive, comprehensive or over scaled redevelopment. It just needs some well judged tweeks to improve connectivity and perhaps a high quality new build on the site of the cinema. They better not touch the old building fronting Oxford Road.
By Concerned
Actually 500k sq ft seems like an absurdly large scheme for one smallish plot and (hopefully) the refurbishment of an existing building. This site is one of the most sensitive sites in the city centre and is not in need of regeneration, just a sensible, modest and high quality redevelopment. Let’s hope NR and MCC haven’t screwed up the brief by specifying an obscene over-development.
By Concerned
500,000 sq ft seems small for what is a very run down and strategically important site.
By James Williams