City Centre

New £50 million canalside neighbourhood planned for Ancoats

Plans include a range of different housing options, a new cafe space and a canalside garden with pretty lights and lush foliage

Georgina Pellant - 25th March 2022

Plans for a new £50 million neighbourhood in Manchester’s Ancoats could see a disused storage depot turned into a new canalside district for city dwellers.

Submitted to Manchester City Council by developers Capital&Centric and Kamani Property Group, if successful they would see hundreds of new canalside apartments, townhouses and gardens take over the currently empty space.

Plans also include room for gardens and a new cafe bar or store, to be used by residents as a community hang out.

New images submitted as part of the plans show proposed designs for the new neighbourhood, which would include 193 homes with a mixture of 1 and 2-bed apartments, 3-bed duplexes and townhouses fronting onto Carruthers Street.

It’s the second collaboration between the two Manchester-based developers, who have teamed up to breathe new life into the historic site. If approved, work could start on site in early 2023.

Fusing together old and new, projected images should reassure local history buffs that the iconic Ancoats Works frontage on Pollard Street will be retained.

Inside, meanwhile, new apartments will feature a modern twist on the red-brick buildings that have long dominated the area – the home of industry in Manchester for hundreds of years.

Further plans include restoring the unloved canalside, by creating a lush new garden with pretty lighting and lush foliage.

Speaking on the new development plans Adam Kamani, CEO at Kamani Property, said: “We think this community will be a really vibrant addition to Ancoats as it grows.

“The design strikes the perfect blend between old and new – retaining parts of the historic building with the iconic ‘Ancoats Works’ signage, whilst creating design-led homes on what’s currently a pretty unloved, industrial site.

“As well as new homes, we plan to deliver stunning outdoor spaces and improve the canalside, making the space much more welcoming with real character.”

Adam Higgins, co-founder at Capital&Centric, said: “At our communities in Piccadilly East and Kampus, we’ve seen first-hand that Manchester’s diverse neighbourhoods are attracting a real mix of people wanting to put down roots in the city.

“More and more, young families, retirees and downsizers are wanting to call the city home, as well as the more stereotypical young professionals.

“Ancoats Works responds to that, with a mix of townhouses and apartments to help foster a diverse neighbourhood, as well as spaces like the corner café bar and gardens where a genuine community can bond and grow. We’re excited about getting going.”

Submission of the Ancoats Works application follows community consultation last year. The collaboration follows the two companies joining up on plans for a site on Swan Street in the Northern Quarter, consented by Manchester City Council in 2021.

Feature image – Supplied