Developers Far East Consortium (FEC) has unveiled its vision for the “sustainable regeneration” of Manchester’s Red Bank neighbourhood.
It will create 5,500 new homes within Victoria North.
Working with international design practices Maccreanor Lavington and Schulze+Grassov, FEC has applied its ‘Wild Urbanism’ concept across the Red Bank masterplan, and is aiming to connect the built environment with the urban nature of the River Irk Valley to create what it’s calling “a unique city neighbourhood”.
The vision – which applies ’15-minute neighbourhood’ principles – includes the “prioritisation” of green space, biodiversity and public realm, with just 50% of land within the masterplan dedicated to high-density residential development.
The neighbourhood is expected to provide new homes for a diverse mix of people, and will build a new community with both “long-term infrastructure” and social amenities.
ADVERTISEMENT
Other key features within FEC’s masterplan for the largely-brownfield site include a focus on active travel, the revitalisation of St Catherine’s Wood as part of the wider City River Park, improvements to the River Irk, and new social and community facilities – including initial proposals for a new primary school and health centre.
Integral to the regeneration project is a “connected, safe and inviting network of public spaces” where pedestrians and cyclists are prioritised to support healthy and active lifestyles, and FEC says that the strategy has been designed to “increase connectivity” between Red Bank, Collyhurst, Cheetham Hill, New Cross, and Manchester city centre, all while creating an “accessible frontage” the River Irk.
ADVERTISEMENT
Far East Consortium (FEC) has unveiled its vision for the “sustainable regeneration” of Manchester’s Red Bank neighbourhood / Credit: Google Maps
£51.6m of investment – which has been secured through a bid by joint venture partner Manchester City Council (MCC) via the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) – will see the Council deliver critical infrastructure to help “unlock the neighbourhood”, including re-naturalisation of the River Irk, as well as the first phase of the City River Park, site remediation, access routes and new utility connections.
Speaking on the unveiling of the plans, Hilary Brett-Parr – Project Director at FEC – said: “The River Irk and its valley provides an opportunity to create a unique, sustainable, residential community within an incredible setting.
“Our ambition is to establish Red Bank as a key location within Victoria North, unlike anywhere else in the city, providing plenty of access to wild, green spaces within a healthy urban environment for people to live, visit and work.
ADVERTISEMENT
“To support the new community in Red Bank, we also recognise the importance of social and community infrastructure and at this early stage have identified locations for a new health centre and primary school needed to allow the new community to flourish.
“We will be working closely with MCC to develop these proposals.”
The regeneration will create 5,500 new homes within Victoria North / Credit: Google Maps
Cllr Gavin White – Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Employment – added: “Red Bank has a huge amount of potential, as part of our ambitious Victoria North project, and aside from the overall investment opportunity to deliver 5,500 new homes on this brownfield site, the area lends itself to a bold and innovative approach to development – putting green space, active travel and sustainability at the heart of the investment.
“Red Bank gives us a blank canvas to create from scratch a blueprint for sustainable urban development in this part of North Manchester alongside the River Irk.”
Local residents and stakeholders are invited to view the plans as part of a public consultation programme, with events taking place on 8 and 9 December.
Featured Image – Far East Consortium (FEC)
Manchester
Taemin at AO Arena: Take the K-pop world’s ‘Advice’ – you need to watch him live
Thomas Melia
This time last month, South Korean star, SHINee and SuperM boyband member, Taemin showed Manchester the real meaning of ‘The Rizzness’. It was our first K-pop gig and won’t be our last.
Normally, if you ask me what I’m getting up to on a Tuesday night, I’d respond with the usual: “Nothing.” Ask me this random but eye-opening night back in March 2025, and I’d say, “Watching the ‘Ephemeral Glaze’ tour”.
Opening with a song labelled ‘Déjà vu’, ironically, felt from the truth, as the minute the performer stepped onto the stage, the whole crowd was watching what felt like an all-new spectacle come to life – even for some of the already inducted K-pop fans inside the AO Arena.
Following up with ‘Guilty’, I’d be lying if I told you we didn’t love this performance. It wasn’t overshadowed by that unbelievable grand opening either – if anything, it was even better.
A majestic pose from Taemin at AO Arena in Manchester, performing to a lively crowd.Credit: Audio North
This was a setlist that just keeps on giving: after this, ‘Advice’ greets our ears and fans erupt in various screams and cries, to which Taemin, 31, certainly appreciated.
It’s high energy through and through, as the next song, ‘Idea’, felt like the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle for those of us not so used to this kind of music, well and truly captivating the Manc crowd.
Closing what was merely his opening segment with this song was definitely a good ‘Idea’… (sorry).
Its title may draw from a comedic viral term used to describe someone with great flirting skills, a.k.a. ‘rizz’, but ‘The Rizzness’ is no laughing matter.
Fans caught on quickly, and as soon as the first note was pumped out into the arena, the atmosphere reached whole new heights and those familiar screams at an other-worldly pitch returned.
I never thought I’d see the day where AO Arena screamed, “You know I got the rizz, the rizzness”, but there’s a first time for everything, I guess.
Taemin and his dancers were electric at AO Arena.Credit: The Manc Group
Being from Korea, 31-year-old Taemin tried his best to communicate with the crowd throughout the night, taking breaks after back-to-back performances to gauge the audience’s reactions.
The South Korean superstar didn’t take long to warm up to the crowd and showed off his cheeky side, telling the arena, “Only 4 more songs” before finishing the sentence with “I lied”.
‘Criminal’ had me and the rest of Manchester weak in the knees; the choreography was flawless throughout, but this was a true highlight. Ending with ‘Say Less’, Taemin knew exactly what he was doing, putting a song that catchy right at the end, as this was all that replayed in my head on the train home.
Put it this way, we may still be relative newbies to the world of Korean pop music, but with another big name heading to Manchester, we’re definitely keen to find out more.
A brand-new immersive ‘walking theatre’ and XR experience has landed in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We hear the word immersive thrown around a lot these days, but if the notion of walking through some of your favourite fantasy and sci-fi worlds in a state-of-the-art XR tour doesn’t fit the definition, we don’t know what does.
Get ready to pull on a headset and be dropped into a different universe, Mancs.
This is Immersia XR: an industry-leading immersive entertainment and XR (extended reality) experience has just been unveiled right here in Greater Manchester.
Anyone for a ride on a magic carpet?
Credit: The Manc GroupCredit: Immersia XR (supplied)
Immersia XR specialises in what they call ‘Walking XR Theatre – a new term for a new kind of experience’, and boasts big plaudits across the board, with an average Google rating of 4.8 from dozens of reviews already.
Having just made its Manchester debut to the public at Trafford Palazzo (located right next to 0161’s famous Trafford Centre) this summer, the new addition brings cutting-edge technology blended with iconic family-favourite tales in an “unforgettable walk-through format.”
A lucky few have been treated to our first time, including us here at The Manc, and you’ll have to take our word for it when we tell you it’s a truly incredible experience.
It’s the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, and although there are other similar VR and AR offerings around the region, you won’t find anything quite like ‘walking theatre’ and this free-roam experience.
Credit: Supplied
As you can see above, there are a number of experiences to be enjoyed right from the off, including two modes inspired by childhood classics, Alice in Wonderland and Tales of Aladdin.
Ever fancied trying your hand as an astronaut and walking on the surface of the moon as you look back at the Earth below? Course you have! No training involved in this one, either.
Take that, Katy Perry, you can keep your short-lived Blue Origin nonsense to yourself.
Immersia XR’s ambition doesn’t stop there, though, as they are also preparing to introduce the exciting new ‘Terracotta Army’ experience in the near future.
Here’s a glimpse at how it looks inside the goggles:
Already open to the public and running up until Sunday, 6 July 2025, Immersia XR is fun for all ages, with kid-friendly zones and accessible narratives built into the experience.
Best of all, there are actually very few bells and whistles; no screens, no controllers – it’s just you walking through the story of your choice.
Immersia XR’s founder, Ian Xiang, said: “We’re not just launching a new attraction—we’re pioneering the future of storytelling. Walking XR Theatre is where cinema, theatre, and technology converge to create magic. You don’t just watch the story—you walk through it.”
Tickets are on sale now, with adult prices starting from only £17, children (ages 3–15) from just £12, and family tickets (2 adults, 2 kids) from £54. Great value for money.
Concession tickets are also available for students and over-65s, priced from £16, and group bookings of 10 or more receive 10% off. You can even get 20% off all ticket types with the early bird code: PRESS20. You can grab yours HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
6th December 2021 
