Plans to transform shipping containers into a new modular home village for rough-sleepers have been submitted to Manchester City Council this week.
Following public consultation, Embassy – which is supported by Peel L&P and CAPITAL&CENTRIC – is planning a new community to help the city’s homeless and vulnerable get back on their feet.
The Embassy Village will provide up to 40 permanent modular homes made from repurposed shipping containers on a self-contained, currently-derelict site below the railway arches between the Bridgewater Canal and River Irwell.
It will provide ‘safe and secure’ accommodation for those who are homeless, or are at risk of being homeless, with in-house start-to-end support, and routes into work.
ADVERTISEMENT
📢We’re buzzing to announce that our #EmbassyVillage plans for a housing-led community in Manchester have been submitted to the council, which will provide much needed wrap-around support & give the city’s homeless & vulnerable men their own front door @CapitalCentric@PeelLandPpic.twitter.com/qUU41jjKm6
The Embassy Village will also include a Village Hall – a community hub, training and mentoring facility for residents – as well as communal outdoor space with plenty of greenery, a multi use sports area, space to grow vegetables, and external eating and socialising areas.
The charity’s team of re-settlement workers and volunteers will provide wrap-around support of at least six hours per week, per resident, to equip them with a range of life skills designed to help residents “unpack past traumas” and “grow in confidence”.
ADVERTISEMENT
The self-contained site will be managed 24/7 by Embassy’s experienced team.
Embassy / Peel L&P / CAPITAL&CENTRIC
Speaking on the submitted plans, Sid Williams – Founder of Embassy – said: “The big need in Manchester is to find a way to cut the time it takes for an individual to move on from homelessness.
“Last year, we housed a chap who had spent seven years going from shelter to shelter waiting for council housing to come up [so] Embassy Village will help reduce the burden on the council’s housing waiting list and end people’s homelessness on the day they arrive.
ADVERTISEMENT
“As residents will be renting their Embassy Village homes, we also hope to instil a strong sense of empowerment from day one.
“Embassy Village is being specifically designed as a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol consumption community [and] critically, we train our residents to manage their money and home and support them into full-time employment with a wide range of Manchester based, full-time employers [which] means most people leave us to live in normal rental accommodation without the need for benefits thereafter.
“Our brilliant team continue to support our residents with aftercare visits and mentoring in the months after they move on to their next chapter, helping to keep them on an even keel as they reintegrate back into society”.
Embassy / Peel L&P / CAPITAL&CENTRIC
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon – ward member for Hulme – added: “After consultation with councillors and residents with full details of the proposed accommodation, l support the Embassy proposed homeless housing in an under used site on the edge of the canal in the St Georges area.”
“In a city that struggles to offer homes this unique opportunity enables a place of security, advice and rebuilding of vulnerable adults.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The high quality accommodation will be supported by measures including job opportunities, mental health support and training in life skills in stylish accommodation in an independent, well-lit environment with on-site support.
“[Embassy Village] will work in partnership with Manchester City Council and others in the city, and bring a new chapter for those living in their new homes”.
‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
18th May 2021 
