Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese hailed the Northern Gateway as “a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve and develop a huge swathe of unused land within walking distance of the city centre to meet the modern housing needs of Manchester.”
Speaking at the MIPIM property convention in France, Sir Richard said this would be done by “building a mix of housing types and tenures to provide a true housing choice for Manchester people and meet the huge demand for quality homes in the city over the coming decade.”
A joint venture between Manchester City Council and property developer Far East Consortium (FEC), the Northern Gateway has the potential to deliver 15,000 homes across north Manchester in the next decade.
FEC Project Director Tom Fenton said: “Northern Gateway will reconnect the city centre and the outer northern communities. It will offer a range of housing types to cater for a diverse range of Manchester’s population on a variety of incomes – this will be a place for everyone and not just the haves.
“Northern Gateway offers the city centre a chance to naturally expand northwards from Victoria Station and in doing so, regenerate the communities of New Cross, Irk Valley and Collyhurst and act as a catalyst for further connectivity into Cheetham Hill, Miles Platting, Moston and beyond.”
The Northern Gateway is one of the largest UK regeneration programmes and the biggest in Manchester since the regeneration of East Manchester following the Commonwealth Games in 2002.
The 155-hectare (390 acre) area stretching northwards from the city centre – from NOMA and New Cross, through the Irk Valley to Collyhurst – will be the largest contributor to the city’s residential growth strategy to meet rising demand from a fast-growing population.
A formal public consultation on the Northern Gateway masterplan will take place later this year, after which a Strategic Regeneration Framework will be adopted.
At the MIPIM session, Tom Fenton presented five core themes emerging from the Masterplan:
The creation of a series of vibrant and distinct new neighbourhoods
Northern Gateway will offer a range of housing for a diverse range of Manchester’s population on a variety of incomes. Distinctive neighbourhoods will contain new family housing, with new housing types and new retail and leisure uses.
The creation of a new Transport Hub
The area is one of steeply sloping land cut off from the city centre by major transport routes. The Metrolink currently passes through, so the masterplan includes a new transport interchange in the centre of the site at Sandhills, around a new village centre. The river setting will encourage residents to use improved cycling and walking routes to the city centre.
The re-activation of Rochdale Road
Demolitions and depopulation have made Rochdale Road an urban motorway. It needs to be made people-friendly with safe crossing points and a reason for people to be there beyond passing through as quickly as possible. Active frontages interacting with the street are needed, along with cycle routes to provide a human scale.
Capitalising on the area’s architectural heritage
The neighbourhood’s rich architectural heritage includes glorious robust Victorian railway arches. Amazing businesses which occupy the arches, such as the micro-breweries and distilleries will be supported and celebrated.
The creation of a City River Park
The heart of Manchester city centre lacks high quality parks and public open space. The City River Park will link the city centre to Angel Meadow through to Queen’s Park and Heaton Park and beyond, and provide flood resilience, biodiversity and health benefits. The River Irk is the site’s biggest and best natural asset, and the masterplan uses the waterway by reactivating the area with urban parkland, changing perceptions and bringing a leisure and recreational resource for an expanding city centre population.
The first phase of mixed-tenure homes – including Council-owned social housing – will transform the Collyhurst community with affordable rented housing in Collyhurst. FEC is supporting the Council with feasibility studies to identify the most appropriate location for these homes.
FEC are also further committing to providing new family housing for open market sale alongside these affordable homes.
Tom Fenton added: “With the Irk River Valley acting as the catalyst for change, Northern Gateway will unlock the development potential of 390 acres by creating vibrant communities of family homes, parks, schools, healthcare and other public facilities, all linked by new public transport hubs.”
The Collyhurst community will be one of the first areas to benefit from the investment where a new affordability zone will be created as a focus for mixed-type affordable homes investment, including new council-owned social housing and a range of accessible housing for sale and affordable rents. As the communities grow, local facilities will also be developed with stakeholder support to service the planned population growth with schools, sports and leisure provision and medical services.
