Property

A ‘pioneering’ Pollard Street scheme is to bring a wealth of social benefits to Manchester

A planning application has been submitted for an "outstanding, dynamic and creative" workplace development in New Islington.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 7th October 2020
General Projects

A planning application has been submitted for an “outstanding, dynamic and creative” workplace development in the New Islington neighbourhood of Manchester.

With nearly £8m of social value set to be generated for the local community over a five year period, developers say the project will “set a new standard for social impact in the city”.

Subject to approval from Manchester City Council, developer General Projects will create a five building campus that will ultimately bring 3,500 jobs to the area, alongside over 100 SMEs together with a mix of innovative blue-chip companies.

General Projects’ vision for Pollard Street – which is its first development in the city – is for “an inclusive, modern, innovative and sustainable commercial destination” with space available within the campus ranging from micro-units, to Grade-A creative innovation offices, meaning it will appeal to ambitious start-ups, fast growing SMEs and more established businesses.

All organisations located at the development will share a common commitment to supporting local people through “community give back” initiatives, such as mentoring, training, employment or supporting apprenticeships.

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Located alongside the Ashton Canal and inspired by the city’s historic cotton and textile mills, the development – which is designed by architects Hawkins\Brown and landscape architects Planit.IE – will deliver over two acres of “new, exceptional public space” as the area benefits from a £5m investment into landscape and green space
to create a better, healthier and safer environment.

The sustainable credentials of Pollard Street will be underpinned by its car free policy, low carbon transport links and an innovative low-carbon approach to construction and operation.

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Over 50 new trees will be planted on site and 550 bike spaces will also be provided as the development delivers a 30% net gain in biodiversity.

General Projects


General Projects’ vision is further emphasised by its commitment to “setting a new standard for social investment through the built environment” and this includes forming a new Community Wealth Partnership with Manchester City Council, which will see the delivery of a range of targeted social initiatives, including:

  • Mentoring programmes for local young people and businesses.
  • Free workspace for local start-ups.
  • Apprenticeship and internship programmes to tackle local unemployment.
  • Commitments to generate over 5,000 hours of community voluntary work per year.
  • A programme of regular events including school open days to skills and training events.

General Projects has adopted a ‘Manchester-first’ procurement policy – with at least 25% of supply chain spend in Greater Manchester – and during construction, an estimated £200,000 in social value will be generated from apprenticeships, work experience days, site open days and other voluntary, community and social enterprise commitments.

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It has already forged links with local schools, grassroots organisations and community charities to ensure that social value will directly benefit the immediate area as part of the company’s commitment to creating a lasting legacy in the city.

Jacob Loftus – Founder and CEO of General Projects – said: “We are thrilled and excited to be bringing our plans for Pollard Street forward. We have been eager to work in Manchester for a long time and while we know the
pandemic will bring challenges for the local economy in the short term, it remains a city alive with an extraordinary buzz of enterprise, innovation and culture.

“At Pollard Street, we see the opportunity to do something unique and with a very significant social impact to really drive the recovery forward by creating new opportunities for start-ups, entrepreneurs and local people.

“We hope to set a new benchmark for delivering transformative social value through the built environment [and] we’re currently liaising with Manchester City Council and other local partners in order to ensure every aspect of the scheme helps support the local area, whether that’s through job creation or improving the local environment.

“We see our role as developer and building operator and also an enabler in terms of community engagement and social impact by removing many of the barriers that prevent a lot of businesses wanting to put something back into their local area from doing so.”

You can find more information about Pollard Street via the General Projects’ website here.

Property

Derelict Manchester office block to become ‘vital’ accommodation for homeless families

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A derelict former office block in Manchester is set to become vital accommodation for homeless families in the region.

Manchester City Council has announced that, subject to planning approval, new temporary accommodation for dozens of homeless families will be created on the site of a derelict former office block in south Manchester, off Nell Lane in Chorlton.

The Council acquired the 1.1 acre site last month with the support of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.

The initiative – which is part of wider plans to boost the city’s stock of quality temporary accommodation – will see self-contained two-bedroom accommodation created for around 55 homeless families built where former NHS offices, Mauldeth House, currently stand.

Mauldeth House has been empty for several years now at this point, and had become somewhat of a ‘blight’ on the neighbourhood, attracting anti-social behaviour along the way and being targeted by squatters – but with the plans for the new accommodation, this could change for the better.

The site, and therefore the new accommodation, is said to be ‘ideally located’ for families, as it’s close to shops, schools, public transport, leisure facilities, and Chorlton Park.

The new accommodation will see families supported by a specialist team based on site to help them move on as quickly as possible into permanent settled tenancies, which is, of course, the long-term goal for many.

The Mauldeth House initiative is cited as being one example of the Council’s drive to increase its temporary accommodation stock across the city to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.

Other successful examples of this initiative include Mariana House in Whalley Range, and The Poplars in Rusholme.

It also comes after it was announced last month that homeless children in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are placed in temporary accommodation out of area for their school, will now get free bus travel to and from school.

“Mauldeth House is a great example of how we can put derelict properties to good use to benefit those experiencing homelessness, as well as making our neighbourhood look better,” explained Deputy Council Leader, Cllr Joanna Midgley.

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“We are tackling homelessness on many fronts, the most important one being prevention, but we also need an increased supply of good quality temporary accommodation within the city so that if people do become homeless they are not uprooted from their social support networks.

“One of the ways we are doing this is through the innovative use of existing sites whether they are council owned or we are able to acquire them, as in the case of Mauldeth House.”

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

Property

The plans to build 107 new homes in Manchester city centre – including affordable housing

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Ferrous is a new development in Piccadilly East in Manchester

A new community of homes – including affordable housing – is on the way to Manchester city centre.

Fresh new images have been unveiled of Ferrous, a brand-new 107-home rental scheme that will be built in Piccadilly East later this year.

The new development from Capital&Centric will include 15% affordable housing, as well as a new pocket park.

The new scheme is partly thanks to a £1.6m investment from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which will see a previously underused brownfield site regenerated.

The site near Manchester Piccadilly was previously owned by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Although the planning consent didn’t require an affordable housing, Capital&Centric has committed to delivering around 15% of the new homes as affordable.

Alongside the pocket park, there’ll be a small kiosk designed as a launchpad for an independent food or drink operator.

Piccadilly East was named by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s most up-and-coming places to live, thanks to developments like Crusader Mill and Neptune Mill, plus the landmark ‘Jenga’ Leonardo Hotel.

Tom Wilmot, Joint Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said: “The GMCA funding is helping unlock new homes on a challenging city centre site while allowing us to deliver affordable homes as part of the scheme.

“We’ve also carved out space for greenery and an independent operator because small pockets of public space make a massive difference. In a post-industrial city you have to go big on planting. Kampus showed that and we want to create a mini version here.”

Construction on Ferrous is expected to start later this year with completion anticipated in 2028.

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Featured image: Supplied

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