Formal backing for Manchester’s hospital revamps

A framework to redevelop North Manchester General into a £600m “healthy living campus” and a 15-year masterplan to revive Wythenshawe Hospital have been approved by the city council, alongside plans for Withington Village and Ardwick.

Manchester City Council signed off the four regeneration strategies at its cabinet meeting last week, signalling that the projects can now progress.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “These projects have phenomenal scope – the hospital element is vital, but they also go beyond that into opportunities for training, education, local jobs, green spaces, community facilities and new homes for people too.”

North Manchester General Hospital

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is working alongside delivery partners, including developer Bruntwood, to bring forward a revamped hospital alongside staff training and healthcare facilities, new homes, a village green and commercial units at the 67-acre Crumpsall hospital site.

The hospital buildings are ageing and in need of significant work, the NHS trust has noted. The project secured £54m from the Government earlier this month, and architectural firm Sheppard Robson has been appointed as the lead architect.

The proposals include:

  • Healthcare Hub – featuring a replacement acute hospital and modern mental health hospital, to anchor the campus
  • Wellbeing Hub – to enable the delivery of modern, integrated community health, care and wellbeing services, with a single building for mixed service provision, meeting spaces and a café
  • Education Hub – a centre to provide staff training for employees of the hospital and community health and wellbeing hub, and to generate employment opportunities for future local residents
  • Healthy Neighbourhood Hub – a residential-led component providing key worker accommodation, social housing, stepdown care and extra care, as well as commercial space for local SMEs
  • Village Green – comprising high quality outdoor space, acting as a focal point for the campus with green spaces and water features, for staff and local residents to use for meetings, exercise and relaxation

Wythenshawe Hospital

Wythenshawe Hosp 3

The joint venture between the NHS trust and Bruntwood also developed a 15-year masterplan to upgrade Wythenshawe Hospital and create a base for life sciences companies to cluster at the site.

The framework, drawn up by consultancies Deloitte and BDP, proposes revitalising the existing hospital estate and creating a “sustainable health village” with a commercial and academic cluster that would deliver commercial and research & development space for life science occupiers.

The village would become home to uses that would complement the hospital, including lab and research space, offices, training and simulation facilities, as well as key worker homes and care and rehabilitation homes. There is also potential for the site to include undergraduate medical facilities, and a facility for nursing and midwifery.

The masterplan area covers land bounded from Tilson Road, Clay Lane, Jurassic Car Park, and Floats Road.

Sir Michael Deegan, chief executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “[With North Manchester], both these ambitious hospital projects will be transformational for their local communities and the wider city of Manchester.

“We are committed to improving the health, wellbeing and prosperity of residents by delivering outstanding health and care services alongside economic regeneration opportunities.”

Withington Village

Wilmslow Road Withington

Wilmslow Road forms a major part of the framework’s proposals

The framework now signed off by Manchester City Council aims to make the suburb more user-friendly, reduce traffic and guide future development in the area such as the planned renovation of the former NatWest bank into flats, and the redevelopment of Withington Baths.

Drawn up by planning consultant Nexus Planning with architect Broadway Malyan, planner WSP and conservation consultant BB Heritage Studio, the regeneration strategy proposes the pedestrianisation of Copson Street, off Wilmslow Road, which is Withington’s main retail street.

Additional plans for both Copson Street and Wilmslow Road include increasing the number of independent businesses that occupy existing units, improving crossings and enhancing the streetscape.

Meanwhile, an upgraded public space outside the library at Rutherford Place is also proposed, together with a review of the car parks in the area, including Gledhill Car Park, which could be scrapped to provide additional public realm, according to the framework.

Ardwick regeneration

Ardwick Expansion

The framework area covers more than 80 acres

The strategic neighbourhood development framework for the area south-east of Manchester city centre was expanded prior to the council’s sign-off last week, to include an additional 27 acres, taking the total area tipped for regeneration to 83 acres.

The site is bounded by Union Street to the west, Temperence Street to the north, Hyde Road to the south and Devonshire Road to the east, and includes The Manchester College’s Nicholls Campus, which is to be sold as part of the college’s planned estate revamp.

Other assets included in the framework are the former Ardwick cemetery, a clutch of industrial units off Higher Ardwick, and several artificial sports pitches operated by Powerleague.

The area is primarily earmarked for redevelopment into housing. Prepared by SimpsonHaugh & Partners, with input from Arup and Deloitte, addresses seven distinct “character areas” in Ardwick.

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