Gorton Community Hub plans submitted

Following a consultation earlier this year, architect IBI and contractor Morgan Sindall have advanced plans to build the 74,000 sq ft multi-service hub on Garrett Way for Manchester City Council.

The centre is expected to co-locate a mix of public sector organisations, including the council, the Manchester Adult Education Service, Greater Manchester Mental Health, housing association One Manchester, and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

Services to be provided from the centre include skills training, adult and children’s health services, mental health services, and community healthcare.

Gorton Library will also move into the centre once it completes, with the current library to remain in place while construction works are ongoing.

Designed by IBI, the design also features a café and a pharmacy, both to be operated by third parties. In total, the development will provide more than 74,300 sq ft of public service space over two storeys.

Morgan Sindall is the contractor, and work on the public service hub is expected to begin later in the year, subject to planning consent. Demolition of vacant properties on Garratt Way, a former Eastlands Homes office and a pub, has already begun to clear the site.

The hub in Gorton sits alongside several regeneration projects taking place in the area. Manchester’s Housing Investment Fund has backed the development of more than 400 homes, including 183 homes for sale at Connell Gardens in West Gorton and 67 homes for sale and rent at Gorton Monastery.

According to the council, a further 350 homes have planning permission and are expected to be completed by 2020, including Great Places’ Arkwright Place scheme on Melland Road, where 131 homes will be built for sale, rent and shared ownership.

Alongside this, One Manchester is currently already on site with its Kingfisher Gardens development in Gorton, and plans for a further 150 homes are under way.