Next wave of project appointments for Victoria North

Design practices Maccreanor Lavington and Schulze+Grassov are to lead the masterplanning of the 5,500-home Red Bank neighbourhood, part of the larger Manchester development.

The multidisciplinary team has been appointed by Far East Consortium, Manchester City Council’s development partner for the Victoria North regeneration programme, previously known as the Northern Gateway.

The team is tasked with developing a masterplan and hybrid planning application for Red Bank, the latest component of the programme intended to deliver 15,000 new homes north of the city centre over the next 10-15 years.

The full list of consultants includes: 

  • Maccreanor Lavington and Schulze+Grassov – lead designers and masterplanners
  • Open – landscape design
  • Useful Projects – sustainability design
  • WSP – lead technical advisor
  • Arcadis – cost manager
  • Avison Young – planning and EIA consultant
  • Counter Context – consultation specialist

Red Bank is proposed to transform a largely brownfield site into a new mixed-use neighbourhood centred around the first phase of the City River Park component of Victoria North, a 113-acre park to be developed on the bank of the River Irk.

The project will also feature a mix of recreational, commercial and residential spaces, including around 4,000 homes across a range of tenures, 20% of which would be designated as affordable. Enabling works for Red Bank’s first housing development, Victoria Riverside, begun this year.

FEC expects to lodge an application for the scheme in spring 2022. The company’s project director Hilary Brett-Parr said: “Appointing this team is a major step forward in mapping out our vision for Red Bank, which will be transformative for the city.

“Our ambition is to create an aspirational neighbourhood for a mixed and diverse community that celebrates and revives the River Irk and connects people to the city as well as nature. We are focused on developing a sustainable neighbourhood with exemplar public realm and spaces with cycling and walking at its heart.”

Said Oliver Schulze, co-founder at Schulze+Grassov: “Our goal is to transform Red Bank into Manchester’s best urban neighbourhood, where a great public realm will invite people to live, work, and enjoy life in Manchester city centre.”

And Kevin Logan, director of Maccreanor Lavington’s Urban Studio, added: “Our ‘Wild Urbanism’ vision for a new community in Red Bank has been developed to positively respond to the challenges of the climate emergency, biodiversity breakdown and ensuring health and equality.

“We believe it offers Manchester a new model for delivering truly sustainable, distinctive and equitable neighbourhoods…for the next generation of Mancunians.”

FEC and Manchester City Council last week announced the project team appointed to carry out infrastructure works intended to support the wider Victoria North programme – particularly the first 5,500 homes to be delivered under the proposals.

The works would include brownfield land clearance and land decontamination, and linking sites to existing highways – constraints that would otherwise hinder future development.

Your Comments

Read our comments policy

Maccreanor Lavington – quality!

By Rich X

Fantastic! Wow! Two international names in urban design masterplanning an area in Manchester. This has surely got to be part of Louise Wyman’s influence before she sadly departed. Great to see Maccreanor Lavington debut in Manchester with this project. Their work is stunning. Just like we saw with U I and Mayfield, FEC are bringing international architects to Manchester and it will only continue with Stanhope and ID.

By Andrew

Fantastic line up – never a slow day in Manchester! Great to have some Dutch architects and urban planners in the UK, god knows we need their excellence!

By Anonymous

Great Team selection by FEC, hope to see this part of Manchester come to life very soon

By Pablo

Hopefully top quality design and planning will future proof the area so it can stand the test of time.

By MrP

Such a huge development which will completely define the area for generations. Some great appointments.They’re off to a flying start!

By Simon

Don’t know what it says about architects in the North of England, Manchester in particular, that the city has to get architects from Denmark and London.

By Ray

The FEC has done so much for Manchester . Another job well done in appointing such a notable group of architects and developers.

By John

I’ll tell you what it says Ray, it says the architects in Manchester have so much on their plate with the amount of development going now and for the foreseeable.It also says that if you can afford the best you get them from wherever you can, it’s based on reputation not location!

By Cityscape

Re:what it says about northern architects.Variety and a wide net!.Having architects from London,NL and DK designing a project together is a fantastic opportunity to build from a brownfield site a neighbourhood that’s very desirable. I hope they get all the infrastructure in place ,its a huge job.Really looking forward to seeing it rise from the ground.

By Robert Fuller

@Ray – it says that Manchester is an international and outward looking city who get the best design talent for the job at hand and can attract international talent to work in Manchester.

By Bradford

SchulzeGrassov aren’t that ‘new’ to Mcr: Oliver Schulze came to UoM from Germany at 18 and qualified/worked here as an architect for a decade, before moving to Denmark to join Jan Gehls. They’ve been trying to win work here in Mcr ever since SG was formed, and TBH I’ve been stumped why they haven’t won bids before now – they’re really good, and just what Mcr needs

By MancLad

I am following lots of exciting updates. Born in Ancoats 55 years agoe i am working in the heart of Manchester and am very excited to see future plans i am positive this will be good especially mentioning diversity i love it

By Karen Pennington

Related Articles

Sign up to receive the Place Daily Briefing

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Job Field*
Other regional Publications - select below