Framework outlines potential of Ancoats fringe site

The New Cross neighbourhood to the North of Ancoats could play "a pivotal role" in meeting residential and commercial needs across Manchester, according to a draft development framework set to be discussed by the City Council.

The New Cross site in the Ancoats and Clayton wards is to the North East of Manchester city centre, bounded by Swan Street, Livesey Street, Rochdale Road, Bromley Street and Oldham Road.

According to the report ahead of the next meeting of Manchester City Council's executive committee on Wednesday: "The New Cross neighbourhood is a key City Fringe location that will play a pivotal role in accommodating new residential and commercial development and creating an environment that seamlessly knits the area into the growth and extension of the city centre north and eastwards over the next ten to fifteen years".

The development framework outlines the importance of the site which is currently made up of "underutilised land" but borders on prime areas such as the city centre, Northern Quarter, Ancoats, and the Co-operative's NOMA.

Within the draft development framework, the area is divided into three zones:

• Zone A, the historic core of sites between Swan Street, Thompson Street, Rochdale Road and Oldham Road, which is dominated by vacant land and surface car parking
• Zones B and C, the sites to the North west and North East of Zone A, occupied by a number of commercial tenants including the Royal Mail sorting office, the Wing Yip supermarket and the Manchester Central Fire Station

Within the document, the plans for Zone A are to:

• Build a residential-led site to create "a distinctive sense of place"
• Have an architecturally diverse mix of properties
• Retain the historic grid pattern
• Have an eight-storey maximum building height
• Allow commercial mixed-uses and give opportunities for potential workspace overspill from the Northern Quarter
• Not support late night uses beyond 11pm
• Enhance public realm and walking routes

In Zones B and C, the proposals are still at a more illustrative stage, but include:

• The release of large development sites for residential-led mixed-use projects
• Opportunities to connect the site to the city centre and neighbourhoods to the North, East and West
• The potential to make Rochdale Road a key corridor for the city centre and North Manchester
• A lower scale and density of development than in Zone A

If the framework is approved by the Manchester City Council executive, a period of public consultation will be launched in the spring, with a final draft to be discussed by the executive in July.