Plans for a £400m city centre regeneration scheme that will create more than 1,200 homes has been approved by Manchester City Council’s planning committee.
Gasworks New Town project by MCR Property Group will see 1,202 homes created on the site of the former Rochdale Road Gas Works at the heart of Manchester, with a mixture of attractive townhouses and apartments.
Nick Lake, Asset Manager for MCR Property Group, said: “This is the jewel in the crown for MCR. We all felt a responsibility to create something spectacular on home turf and there is no doubt that the Gasworks will provide an aspirational and inspirational place to live and work.
“We’re particularly proud of the project’s environmental credentials, claiming the crown for being the most carbon-efficient development of its type that Manchester has ever seen. This really is a scheme fit for the coming century, with electric charging points on every parking space and more than 1,000 cycle spaces making this one of the most bike and pedestrian friendly residential developments in the country.”
MCR bought the site in 2015 and worked with local stakeholders and the planning department, it went through dozens of iterations to get the balance of housing provision, design and environmental amenities in perfect balance.
The project, which will have a GDV of approximately £400m, will include 192 sqm of commercial space and its accommodation will be provided by nine separate buildings ranging from 8 to 34 storeys in height. The scheme will be built in four phases with construction set to begin this summer, while the tallest residential tower is expected to be completed by the end of 2030.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “As one of the emerging neighbourhoods of Victoria North, New Town is aptly named. The Gasworks development will breathe life into a largely forgotten corner of the city centre fringe, bringing purpose and an energy to an area that is currently characterised by surface car parks.
“Residential investment at this scale should be celebrated and will contribute significantly to meeting demand for high quality homes in this part of the city. And once again, developments such as this show a real confidence in Manchester as an attractive place to invest and do business – the importance of which cannot be underestimated as we look to economic recovery following the pandemic.”
Plans include a public park between Gould Street and Bromley Street as well as a pedestrian route and cycle path running east-to-west through the site. A total of 85 affordable homes will be available through Shared Ownership and this number may increase during the fourth phase of the scheme.
