MIPIM 2015: Neville set for next stage of Jackson’s Row
"When I look at property I want to do something different with it, and leave an imprint in people's minds," said former Manchester United FC footballer-turned-developer Gary Neville in the last event on the Manchester stand.
See gallery below of Jackson's Row sketches
The last of the six presentations at the Manchester stand was introduced by Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, who quipped that "for the last 10 years of my life I've spent most of my time booing this man… But now he brings a fresh approach to property development."
Neville ran through his current projects, with a role at Zerum Consult, the recent completion of the 138-bedroom Hotel Football, the Stock Exchange boutique hotel conversion designed by AEW Architects and a mixed-use development at Jackson's Row off Deansgate by Make Architects, both in partnership with fellow ex-footballer Ryan Giggs.
Neville revealed that as of this week Manchester City Council had bought the police station in Bootle Street, which has a reported value of around £2m, to allow for Neville and Giggs' Jackson's Row Development Company to progress with plans to redevelop the station and build on its adjoining sites.
Based on concept sketches within his presentation, Neville said that the development would connect the site to the nearby Albert Square, with an emphasis on public realm and residential blocks with rooftop gardens.
"The plan is to entice people in, which is what we hope to do when we start to work up designs," he said. "We want to create spaces with gardens in the sky, to create a living environment that will bring families back into the city. There's no excuse for city centre residential schemes to not have gardens."
In other projects, the 23,000 sq ft Stock Exchange in Norfolk Street achieved planning permission in February for a 35-bedroom hotel, gym, spa and a member's only roof terrace. As part of his talk, Neville said that the goal was to create "Manchester's original business club", to allow for a MIPIM-style offer all year round.
Neville said: "The modern individual wants to connect socially and move quickly between business and leisure in their lives, and the Stock Exchange is the perfect building to do that in."
In wrapping up the stand event, Bernstein was obviously pleased with the activity throughout the course of MIPIM.
"Everyone has worked incredibly hard, and I hope you can tell that I have worked very hard," he said. "Manchester leaves here with its reputation enhanced."
Click image to launch gallery
- Concept drawings by Make Architects for Bootle Street were released at MIPIM 2015
