With new apartment blocks springing up all over Greater Manchester, it’s rare to find one with community spirit built-in – but we’ve found just the place.
Just across the river from Manchester city centre, this canalside neighbourhood offers more than just its beautifully designed apartments and generous green spaces. New Maker Yards creates a community that values lifestyle, wellbeing and connection as much as the living spaces themselves.
That means free events for residents, plenty of communal spaces, a gorgeous setting, and so much more.
Here, you’ll find one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes available for rent, with pet-friendly pads, an on-site cafe, parking, and green spaces all available. It’s in a pretty enviable location, too.
Here are five reasons to make New Maker Yards your next home.
ADVERTISEMENT
Community
At New Maker Yards, you’re not just renting an apartment, you’re joining a neighbourhood with real community spirit.
Large-scale free community events bring residents and locals together, like this summer’s Middlewood Locks Fest, which featured live music, food, rowing boats and a market right on the canals.
ADVERTISEMENT
The recent Sofar Sounds event saw the community curl up on beanbags to enjoy a completely free gig from up-and-coming local artists.
Come winter, there’ll be a Christmas party, and all year round you’ll find monthly quiz nights, workshops, a book club, yoga, football, a run club, and pop-up events like sushi making and plant pot painting.
Location
Aviva Studios is a short walk from New Maker YardsNew Maker Yards is just outside Manchester city centre
Technically in Salford, but a stone’s throw away from Manchester city centre, New Maker Yards blends convenience with character. You can even see Aviva Studios from here.
ADVERTISEMENT
Built around canals and just beside the River Irwell, it’s a gorgeous part of the city centre.
From your door, it’s just a four minute walk to the Regent Retail Park (hello, big Sainsburys and JD Gyms); seven-minutes to all the restaurants and cafes on Chapel Street; and less than 10 minutes from St John’s and onwards to Spinningfields.
You can also get your green space fix with a 15 minute walk to Castlefield, with Peel Park a little further on.
And with each apartment block designed around its own communal gardens, you’ll feel tucked away from the city centre, while still being amongst the action.
Communal spaces
Co-working hub at New Maker YardsCo-working hub at New Maker YardsA resident lounge
You’ll never get cabin fever at New Maker Yards, which has loads of communal spaces to enjoy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Residents have access to The Lock, a co-working hub with window seats, booths and a huge co-working desk.
Residents can also access the Club Room, where you’ll find a mini library, a kitchen for hosting events, a huge TV and more.
Outside, landscaped gardens include flower beds, loungey garden furniture, ping pong tables and more for residents to enjoy.
Add in a 92 Degrees coffee shop and an on-site Co-op shop, and you have everything you need right on your doorstep.
Interiors
Inside a New Maker Yards apartmentA living space opening onto an outdoor terraceModern, fully equipped kitchensStylish living spaces
Apartments at New Maker Yards come with top-spec, state-of-the-art interiors, designed for modern living.
ADVERTISEMENT
Each home has huge windows that flood with natural light, integrated kitchen appliances including a fridge, microwave and dishwasher, and loads of storage space.
Furniture packages mean you can move straight into a home kitted out with dressers, drawers, beds, sofas, mirrors, and more.
Many of the apartments also feature private outdoor space – balconies for the upper floors, and terraces opening onto the communal gardens for the ground floors.
They’re also pet friendly, so you can bring your four-legged friend with you.
Services and amenities
The Club RoomNew Maker Yards
You’ll have proper peace of mind at New Maker Yards, both for your own personal safety and the safety of your ASOS parcels.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’s 24-hour on-site security, an on-site maintenance team, a parcel room and a friendly resident team in the welcome office, ready to help with whatever you need.
Storage pods, car parking and bike storage are all available too.
To find out more about New Maker Yards, head HERE.
UK Management College to host ‘biggest ever’ summer festival in Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
UK Management College is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a massive summer festival in Manchester this weekend.
UK Management College (UKMC) has empowered thousands of students to achieve their academic and professional ambitions over the past decade, building a ‘vibrant and diverse’ learning community along the way, and now to mark the institution’s 10th anniversary, a landmark celebration called SummerFest will be taking place this weekend.
More than just an annual gathering, this year’s SummerFest is set to be the largest celebration in the college’s history.
Taking place this Friday (10 July) at Heaton Park, the event will bring together students, staff, partners, families, and friends for a day of celebration and recognition, while looking ahead to the ‘exciting’ future of the college.
Festival attendees can look forward to a packed programme of live entertainment, festival-style food and refreshments, interactive activities, awards and recognition ceremonies, and plenty of other experiences designed to bring the entire UKMC community together.
You can also expect exclusive announcements throughout the day and a lottery draw with some incredible prizes to be won.
UK Management College is hosting its ‘biggest ever’ summer festival in Manchester this weekend / Credit: Supplied
“SummerFest 2026 is more than a celebration of our tenth anniversary,” explained Michael Taylor, who is the Head of Marketing at UKMC, “it is a celebration of every student, every colleague and every success story that has shaped UKMC over the past decade.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together and look forward to welcoming our community for what promises to be an unforgettable day.“
The event will begin with arrivals from 11am for UKMC staff and students, before opening to all attendees from 3pm onwards.
Ready to celebrate how far the UKMC has come? And get excited about where it is heading next? SummerFest is taking over Heaton Park, near Dower House, this Friday ready to kick off a weekend of sunshine.
It’s free to attend, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Sponsored
We Are Football Fest – Europe’s largest World Cup fan park gets even bigger as ‘Big Sam’ joins the party
Daisy Jackson
The largest World Cup fan park not just in Manchester or the UK but all of Europe just got even bigger, as the latest ambitious project from 4TheFans is seeing them expand from Freight Island into Depot Mayfield.
In fact, the former has already sold out in just four hours, and with a former England manager set to turn up, you’d better be quick about booking your tickets…
We Are Football Festival, in partnership with Freight Island and Broadwick, will bring together 13,000 football fans in front of the biggest screens in the country to cheer on England as they continue their race for World Cup glory.
The already enormous fan park opened at Freight in June, but now they’ll be opening up the iconic Depot next door, further transforming the space into an unrivalled celebration of football, with the one and only Sam Allardyce even set to turn up on stage.
The outdoor screen has been box office vibes since minute oneWe Are Football Festival by 4TheFansThe fan park spills over into Depot MayfieldCredit: Vision Seven
We know he was only in charge for one game, but he’s still the only England boss to boast a 100% win record, after all.
Fans have been utterly immersed in the action thanks to a massive sound system, pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons, DJs, and entertainment around the games themselves – providing just about the closest thing you can get to a big game atmosphere.
The venue is open for all late kick-offs, too, and with England now through to the quarter-final stages following that dramatic 3-2 thriller against Mexico, the heat is really starting to ramp up.
Fans can head to Freight, as well as the rooftop or garden at Depot Mayfield from 5pm kick-off on matchdays in the sunshine, now with room for even more supporters to flood into the famous Manc Warehouse for those late-night games in the warehouse.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t get much later than a 4am full-time whistle again, eh?
There’s also the dedicated ‘Footy Fun Village’, which includes sponsored activations, games zones, and more family-friendly areas, creating a safe space for fans of all ages to enjoy the tournament no matter the time of day.
4TheFans and Freight Island have also hand-picked a great selection of food traders from around the world, not to mention a top-shelf bar selection.
We Are Football Fest’s 2026 World Cup coverage also comes with dedicated 4TheFans hosts, plus Sky Sports presenters, and the matches thus far have even seen England football legends providing quality match analysis at each screening.
Since launching, 4TheFans has welcomed hundreds of thousands of fans, and camera crews from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, Sky Sports, England TV, and Match of the Day, to fan parks across the UK.
It’s now chosen Depot Mayfield for its World Cup fan park, where they can fill the huge space at Freight Island first before scaling into the rest of the Depot as the fan community grows and the Three Lions march on.
4TheFans is the UK’s original and biggest fan park brand, and it’s working with Freight Island and Broadwick to deliver this game-changing We Are Football Festival – the biggest and best fan park in Europe.
5,000 early bird tickets are available from just £4.50 per person, each coming with one beer included, and are on sale right HERE.
4TheFans presents We Are Football Festival runs at Depot Mayfield until 19 July 2026.
General admission tickets include
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Football legend in attendance
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
VIP table tickets include
VIP table section with the best view of the giant screens and the event
Meet and greet with a football legend
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
It’s been packed for every England game up to this pointHow the indoor Depot warehouse room will lookCredit: Supplied via 4TheFans