CAPITAL&CENTRIC / Kamani Property Group / Hawkins\Brown
CAPITAL&CENTRIC and Kamani Property Group have this week confirmed the submission of plans for the new Swan Street community.
Social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC – which recently featured in the BBC2 documentary Manctopia – has submitted a planning application for a £37 million scheme to create a new community in Manchester’s New Cross district in partnership with Kamani Property Group.
Located opposite the Mackie Mayor food hall and iconic Band on the Wall venue, the scheme will transform thesite on Swan Street – which CAPITAL&CENTRIC purchased with Kamani Property last year, and is currently home to two derelict buildings, once used as a MOT garage and a storage facility – into 118 new homes, with a mix of one, two and three bed design-led apartments.
There will be ground floor workspaces and spaces for local businesses to locate, such as a café-bar or deli.
A shared roof terrace and private roof terraces for residents are also planned, as the developers look to maximise outdoor space [and] with a striking design, it will also feature a huge 270m art canvas on the front of the building – which will be one of the largest in the city and will showcase local and international artists.
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Speaking on the plans for the new community, Tim Heatley – Co-Founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC – said: “New Cross used to be a thriving location in the 18th and 19th century, and its due to have its day again. The area’s already attracting indie businesses and the same is going to happen with residents wanting to be part of the growing neighbourhood.
“As you’d probably expect from us, we’ve gone for a bold design with a huge art canvas on the building.
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“We want people to stop and look and for it to become a talking point. Architecture should be interesting and draw people in – we’re not interested in building a bland boring building”.
Adam Kamani – CEO of Kamani Property – said: “Manchester runs through our veins and we’re proud to be part of the New Cross district’s resurgence.
“The city centre has been through a tough and unprecedented year tackling COVID-19, but we’re looking forwards to the comeback and recovery. As a business we’re keen to play our part in helping Manchester to thrive again [and] the submission of our plans with CAPITAL&CENTRIC to breathe new life into an under-loved part of the city with boundless potential is a great way to kick off 2021.”
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Tom Dobson, Associate Director at Hawkins\Brown – the architects behind the scheme – said: “Swan Street is a fantastic opportunity to provide a new landmark destination with a layered architectural response, designed to offer a mixed use scheme of high-quality homes activated at ground level by commercial premises and enhanced public realm.”
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The New Cross district is bound by Swan Street, Oldham Road, Rochdale Road, and Livesey Street.
In 2015, Manchester City Council approved a Neighbourhood Development Framework for New Cross to guide future development and create a vibrant new residential led neighbourhood, and the planning application submission by CAPITAL&CENTRIC and Kamani Property Group this week follows a public consultation, which was held during December.
A decision on the planning application is expected from Manchester City Council in the Spring.
Property
Greater Manchester could be getting a new town under ‘ambitious’ Government housebuilding programme
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester could be getting a new town under an ‘ambitious’ proposed Government housebuilding programme.
Manchester Victoria North is one of seven new towns that have been proposed.
Named for consideration as part of what the Government is referring to as the most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century, the locations of seven new towns have been revealed this week, and also include other northern locations like Leeds South Bank, as well as places in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and Greenwich.
The Government says that the next generation of new towns are to be ‘built for the future from the ground up’.
They will create well-connected new communities with homes, jobs, schools, green spaces, and suitable transport links planned from the start.
Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes – with several delivering 40,000 or more in the decades to come.
Greater Manchester could be getting a new town / Credit: Manchester City Council
All seven of the proposed new towns are set to be designed for modern everyday life, the Government insists – with neighbourhoods that people can easily get around without a car, incorporating shared green spaces and ‘vibrant’ high streets.
As part of the Manchester Victoria North proposals announced this week, at least 15,000 homes regenerating the heart of Greater Manchester are to be built, with a new Metrolink stop connecting residents to jobs across the city.
“People want real change,” explained Housing Secretary, Steve Reed. “They want homes they can afford, local infrastructure that works, and good jobs in thriving communities.
“Our next generation of new towns marks a turning point in how we build for the future.
“From the ground up, we’re planning whole communities with homes, jobs, transport links, and green spaces designed together, so we can give families the security and opportunities they deserve.”
Alongside the new towns consultation, the Government has also confirmed today that the National Housing Bank will launch on 1 April, backed by up to £16 billion of financial capacity and aiming to deliver over 500,000 new homes.
The Government has also confirmed additional support worth up to £400 million over the next decade for ‘subsidised products’.
Featured Image – James Feaver (via Unsplash)
Property
Altrincham named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2026 in The Sunday Times’ annual ranking
Emily Sergeant
A popular Greater Manchester town has been named among the UK’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in its annual ranking.
That’s right… it’s that time of year, once again.
The Sunday Times is known for pulling together a list of what it considers to be the most sought-after places to live in the UK every year, and 2026’s ranking has officially been published today – with dozens of locations across the country making up the comprehensive guide, and six of those coveted locations being right here in the North West.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all locations on the list, and assessed factors such as schools, transport, culture, broadband speeds, access to green spaces, the health of the high streets, and much more to devise the always-talked-about annual ranking.
Macclesfield in Cheshire, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Lancaster in Lancashire, and Aigburth in Liverpool are just some of the North West areas named by the publication in the 2026 list.
Altrincham has been named one of the best places to live in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
A spotlight has also been shone on two Greater Manchester towns, and one of two has even been given the regional North West title… but which are they?
Where has taken the top spot as the best place to live in the North West for 2026, and is therefore one of the best places to live in the whole of the country? Well, that honour has been given to none other than Greater Manchester’s very-own Altrincham.
The publication described the Trafford town as ‘classy, cool and effortlessly comfortable’.
“Altrincham is a top-notch town brimming with independent businesses and big brands, and now it’s flying even higher,” The Sunday Times said.
The fact that co-working has now arrived on the high street thanks to the conversion of the old Rackhams department store, and that the town’s cultural and creative ‘cachet’ is also on the rise, have been highlighted as reasons as to why Altrincham has been chosen as the North West’s winner, as well its newly-flourishing fitness scene.
Of course, the town has also been praised for its transport links into Manchester city centre and across the region, as well as it being a great place for families thanks to the excellent local schools on offer.
Didsbury was the other Greater Manchester town chosen to represent the best of the North West – with the Manchester suburb described as being ‘stylish, solid, safe, and, yes, a little bit smug in parts… but that’s okay’.
Emily Sergeant -
15th January 2021 
