Plans in for divisive Ryebank Fields development
Step Places and Southway Housing Group have finally lodged proposals for 120 properties on the 10-acre site in Chorlton more than two-and-a-half-years since being selected as preferred bidders for the project.
Since July 2022, the developers behind plans for the Ryebank Fields scheme have been trying to work up a project that addresses the concerns of local residents while providing homes in a sought-after location.
Now, after several rounds of public consultation, Step Places and Southway have lodged their plans with Manchester City Council for consideration.
Designed by 5plus Architects, the development comprises a broad mix of homes including “age-friendly affordable apartments, private sale houses, co-housing homes with communal facilities, and supported living accommodation for autistic adults”, according to planning documents.
All of the homes would be built to Passivhaus standards and 35% would be designated as affordable.
“We are excited to take this next step in bringing forward a development that not only provides much-needed homes to an in-demand part of South Manchester but does so in a way that respects the site’s history and local environment,” said Harinder Dhaliwal, managing director at Step Places.
Jonathan Turner, assistant director at Southway Housing Trust, added: “Southway is delighted to be working with Step Places to bring forward affordable homes as part of the Ryebank proposals and address a housing shortage in Chorlton.
“The plans will create a mixed, sustainable community to help the city meet its housing targets.”
There has been vocal opposition to the scheme ever since Manchester Metropolitan University announced its intention to sell off Ryebank Fields in 2019.
This is likely to ramp up as the development works its way through the planning process and towards committee.
Since 2020, the site has been used sporadically as a base by protestors, including members of environmental group Extinction Rebellion.
Campaign group Save Ryebank Fields claims that the land is unfit for redevelopment and that MMU does not have a “moral right to benefit financially from the proposed housing development”.
To learn more about the application, search for reference number 142223/FO/2025 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
Asteer Planning is advising on planning matters. The project team includes TPM Landscape, SK Transport, Walker Sime, Urban Green, Phi Low Carbon, and Ridge.
If I’d paid half a mil for a terraced house in Chorlton I’d be annoyed that passivehaus quality housing was being built in my backyard too.
By Anonymous
This is such a good scheme – truly outstanding in terms of sustainability, design & tenure mix in particular. Hard to believe there’s any opposition but that’s NIMBYs for you. They’ll always find a reason to deny others the opportunities they’ve already had, however spurious.
By YIMBY
Those in the Save Ryebanks Field Group obviously live in a parallel universe. Whatever the condition of the land it can be made “fit”.
Also given the requirements to address Bio-diversity Net Gain, affordable housing, land remediation I doubt if there will be much “profit” from the land disposal for the University but they do have the “moral right” to dispose of the land as they see fit.
Finally, if there ever was a piece of land that meets a “grey belt” definition it is this piece of land (even those it is not designated as Green Belt).
Get it built.
By Anonymous
Great scheme! I commend the development team and MMU finally having the bravery to stand up to the militant Save the Ryebank Fields group who have been abhorrent throughout this process.
By Chorlton resident
Get it built.
By Anonymous
This is a much needed scheme and looks like an exemplar for new housing development in a city suburban context. Addresses carbon reduction, affordable housing and accessible open space as well as any scheme I can recall.
I don’t understand the opposition’s concern and they should know the University has a legal right to optimise value from surplus assets.
By Anonymous
Great looking scheme providing much needed housing on none greenbelt land but that won’t stop the Chorlton nimby’s kicking up a fuss.
By Anonymous
This is a disgraceful scheme. It will disturb asbestos laden soil in the process of destroying a vital biodiverse part of green space in one of the most built up parts of the country – all to financially profit a university which inherited this land under a covenant committing it to use it for sporting activity. Oh, and it’s built on a floodplain which prevents all nearby properties and a school from sustaining flood damage once every 2-3 years… but I’m sure Southway won’t need to tell prospective buyers about that. Insurance will deal with it.
By Chorlton resident
I used to live in the streets beside Ryebank Fields – the NIMBYs have resisted development on this land (which is previously developed land) for decades now.
Congratulations to Step Places and Southways for having developed a fantastic scheme – let’s hope MCC Planning Committee support it and don’t listen to the NIMBY minority. We need those homes. Fingers crossed.
By Anonymous
Good to see the scheme gain traction, my only concern is what they term “affordable”.
Ryebank sits next to Longford Park which is across the road from Turn Moss which is sited by the Mersey and it’s tow paths which lead to Sale and Chorlton Water Parks, so the loss of a wee part of parkland for the benefit of the wider community is to be applauded.
By The Jock
One can understand the NIMBYs’ concerns, it’s not as if there as if there are any other public spaces nearby…
By Sten
Chorlton resident 3.42am – just checked on the Government’s Flood Risk map – Ryebank Fields is assessed as land within flood zone 1 and has a low probability of flooding. Thanks for the misinformation.
By Anonymous
The developer is looking at detoxifying the site, provided eco housing, older people’s housing and an autistic unit while retaining the wooded areas. It seems like an obvious choice. It is nowhere near a bog standard profit driven bland ‘executive’, housing development.
It would be good to have the site decontaminated as we don’t know what is leeching into the water table.
From walking through the ‘fields’ the local usage seems to be for dog walking (unleashed) which is hardly good for the wildlife. There is a large public park next door which provides plenty of green space.
By Anonymous
Ryebank is a Greenfield (not brown) and home already to many animals. It is a unique wild area near the city centre that should be kept. If built the scheme would increase traffic on the already packed Longford Road….doctors, schools and all infrastructure is already overloaded in Chorlton. There are many new homes already being built (the Precinct, the Baths, the Irish Club etc….
In this time of ecological fragility and climate change we should be preserving our wild ecosystems (as is Council policy!).
By Lou Oliva
There are no good reasons for this precious wild area (home to a variety of wildlife including butterflies – at risk elsewhere in the country- and birds and small mammals) to be destroyed. The only compelling reason is the profit motive- why does money always seem the most important consideration!
By Sonia Waddell
(To continue!). There are plenty of houses being built on brownfield sites across Manchester at this very moment, whereas to build on Ryebank Fields would overload the local environment, causing traffic congestion and pollution; and local schools, medical facilities, and even the sewage system would be unable to cope. This is a WILD area (as opposed to the nearby “manicured “ Longford Park), providing a small piece of genuine countryside for the locals to enjoy, while keeping the stress of modern life at bay.
By Sonia Waddell
MCC Planning Committee: Approve Please
By Anonymous
I get why people are being a bit rude about middle class people and NImbys but honestly the climate emergency isn’t a middle class thing. It doesn’t care about class and it will flood these houses as well as any others. I think anyone who saw what happened on NYE would realise flooding is our new reality and only going to get worse. It will affect us lower paid people most even though we are causing less of it. Any green spaces should be protected when there’s lots of empty housing and other developments already. That’s my thoughts x
By Anonymous
It would be better to demolish some of the selfish nimby houses and build a few more passive houses
You could get four or five houses on each nimby plot
By Fantastic at long last
it’s not a bad scheme, It’s a shame no-one dare instruct some frontage overlooking Longford Park to improve security at that end. What disappoints me about the opposition to this is the failure to see the larger issues. The nearby scheme to redevelop the old offices and shops in Chorlton centre will emit many more times the CO₂ of the amount of the trees lost on this site but barely a sound from anyone. Building here displaces out of town development saving travel emissions and reinforcing the viability of nearby neighbourhood centres.
By CB