Architects’ images featuring a first look at the new secondary school to be built in the place of Belle Vue’s iconic Showcase Cinema have been released.
Showcase Cinema – which had occupied the site of the famous Belle Vue entertainment complex since 1989 – agreed to sell the land to Manchester City Council last year, with a formal planning application to redevelop the 13-acre site on Hyde Road having now been lodged.
And now, Mancunians can catch a glimpse at plans for The Co-Op Academy Belle Vue – which will be a free school for 1,200 pupils – for the first time, before it is expected to welcome its first set of Year 7 students this September.
Documents released this week show a modern L-shaped building split into three ‘zones’.
It starts with a two-storey sports block, which will boast a sports hall, auditorium, and a drama studio, and the central three-storey building includes the school’s reception, a community hub with a library on the floor above, and a dining hall.
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An adjoining sports hall also has a separate entrance for out of hours use by the wider Belle Vue community, alongside a 140-space car park.
To the rear of the proposed building – which is currently a car park – two large playing fields will be provided, along with a multi-use games area (MUGA) and training grids, which would have three courts to accommodate tennis and basketball courts, a five-a-side football pitch, and practice areas for netball and hockey.
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Sir Robert McAlpine / Space Architects
The Co-op Belle Vue Academy will be run by the Co-Op Academies Trust.
The trust manages 26 other schools in the north of England and is expected to meet demand for secondary school places in east Manchester, with temporary accommodation for students being provided at the nearby Connell Co-op College until the new school building opens in 2023. The new school will accept 120 Year 7 pupils at Connell Co-op College this year and, once fully built, it will be able to take on 240 Year 7 students every year until it reaches full capacity in 2026.
Manchester City Council had originally planned to build a 1,200-place high school at Nutsford Vale in Gorton, but the controversial proposals were met with fierce local opposition.
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A statement submitted alongside with the planning for the Co-op Belle Vue Academy says: “The Trust has an established reputation for providing a high standard of education at its existing schools and colleges and will transfer their vision and experience to the success of the new Belle Vue Academy.
“Whilst the Academy’s primary function is to provide education and learning to 11-16 year olds, it is also intended that the premises will provide functions and facilities which can be used by the wider community throughout the week.”
You can find out more about Co-op Belle Vue Academy here.
Property
Major changes have been made to what Greater Manchester households can recycle
Emily Sergeant
Major changes have been made to what households across Greater Manchester can now stick into their recycling bins.
In case you weren’t aware, this week is National Recycling Week, which is a national effort focused on rescuing items that can be recycled, and in a bid to properly mark the occasion, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has announced that residents across the region will now be able to recycle a wider range of plastic items in their household mixed recycling bin.
This is all thanks to upgrades in Greater Manchester’s recycling facilities, and to the recent contract extension with SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK.
From this week, plastic pots and tubs used for things like yoghurt, soup, cosmetics, butter, and laundry powder, plastic trays containing raw and cooked meat, and plastic fruit and veg punnets, can now all be put in the mixed recycling bin.
These can now all join items like plastic bottles, glass jars, food tins and drinks cans, aerosols, and foil for the first time.
Despite these recent facilities upgrades, plastic films like crisp packets, pet food pouches, and carrier bags, still cannot be recycled in our region.
For now, you can just can throw plastic films into your household bin, where they’ll be burned to generate electricity for the region, however, GMCA has assured residents that it is planning to collect these types of plastic for recycling “in the future”.
“These upgrades will keep up our momentum on recycling,” explained Cllr Tom Ross, who is the Portfolio Lead for Waste and Recycling at GMCA.
“It’ll give us time to build our new, cutting-edge materials recovery centre in Manchester while supporting residents to recycle more easily.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Property
10 hot properties for sale in Greater Manchester | October 2024
Emily Sergeant
Every month, we show you some of the hottest properties currently on the market in Greater Manchester.
It’s safe to say that Mancunians love a good nosey around other peoples’ houses, and after all, Greater Manchester is a brilliant place to live.
But what can your money currently get you in the area?
In our monthly Hot Property series, we scour the internet to find 10 more of the most diverse, jaw-dropping, accessible, and beautifully-presented homes currently on the market in Greater Manchester for you to take a look at.
In search of a high-spec luxury home in one of Bolton’s most prestigious neighbourhoods? Well you may need look no further.
Nestled on the quiet and leafy Whins Crest, tucked away off a discreet lane, in the highly-sought-after Lostock area of Bolton – with a wide range of amenities, good schooling options, and convenient transport links nearby – you’ll find Coach House, an exceptional three-bedroom detached property that has recently been fully renovated throughout.
The property’s stunning interiors are a true credit to the current owners, offering a wealth of flexible living space, while the outside grounds are just as impressive and perfectly complement the inside, making it an ideal home to move straight into.
Estate agents recommend viewing to fully appreciate all that’s on offer.
Whins Crest / Credit: Newton & Co
The property is currently on the market with Bolton-based independent estate agents, Newton & Co, for £950,000.
Set behind mature hedging and wrought iron gates in is the rural retreat of Nabbs Cottage – a four-bedroom Georgian family home in the heart of Greenmount, which is one of Bury’s best-loved suburbs, offering a wealth of amenities, schooling options, and convenient transport links across Greater Manchester just moments away.
The homely stone-built property offers prospective buyers the chance to escape from the hustle and bustle, and seek sanctuary within its spacious reception rooms, open-plan kitchen diner, bedrooms, and other common areas.
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Externally, the family home benefits from manicured private gardens, several garage spaces, and plenty off-road parking for multiple vehicles.
Nabbs Cottage / Credit: Wainwrights
The property is currently on the market with Bury-based independent estate agents, Wainwrights, for £1.85 million.
This magnificent double-fronted Victorian semi-detached family home in the sought-after Manchester suburb of Didsbury, combining the best of village living with the convenience of being only a short distance from the bustling city centre, is a massive credit to the current owners, and is simply described as “stunning” by estate agents.
With six spacious bedrooms to its name and grand proportions around every corner, the property has managed to retain a whole host of period features, despite having been renovated and up-kept to a very high standard.
As well as the impressive interiors, the property also boasts garden areas to the front and rear, as well as a sweeping block-paved driveway providing off-road parking.
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Didsbury Park / Credit: Philip James Kennedy
The property is currently on the market with Manchester-based independent estate agents, Philip James Kennedy, for £1.95 million.
Nestled within a private cul-de-sac, and offering views right across the neighbouring Royton Golf Course, as well as the surrounding open farmland, is this immaculately-presented five-bedroom detached family home in one of Oldham’s most popular residential areas, with a wide range of amenities and convenient transport links on the doorstep.
Just some of the home’s stand-out features include the stunning open-plan island dining kitchen with bifold doors leading out to the rear garden, a large conservatory, and spacious bedrooms with vaulted beam ceilings.
As the property occupies a large corner plot, this means there is plenty of space for well-maintained gardens to the front and rear, as well as a double garage and off-road driveway parking for several vehicles.
Greencroft Meadow / Credit: Habitat
The property is currently on the market with Oldham-based independent estate agents, Habitat, for £675,000.
Occupying a corner plot at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the sought-after Rochdale neighbourhood of Marland, which is loved by families for being conveniently-close to loads of local amenities, schooling options, and transport links across the borough, as well as not being far from countryside walks, is this five-bedroom detached family home that’s ready to move straight into.
The property is described by estate agents as being “an ideal sanctuary for a growing family”, and has been finished to a high standard throughout – with ample living space, lots high-end finishes, and even a landscaped rear garden.
On top of all the exceptional accommodations inside, the property also benefits from off-road driveway parking and the potential for an extension too.
Marland Old Road / Credit: Reside
The property is currently on the market with Rochdale-based independent estate agents, Reside, for £650,000 (Offers in Excess of).
Originally constructed all the way back in 1936, and only owned by two other families prior to hitting the market this time around, is this distinguished five-bedroom detached family home that’s set within beautifully-landscaped grounds extending to approximately a third of an acre on the prestigious Ellesmere Road in Eccles.
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Lovingly and extensively renovated by the current owners, estate agents say the home has been modernised “with great care”, and has preserved key period features that blend timeless charm with contemporary living.
As well as the light and spacious accommodations throughout, the home also boasts well-maintained gardens to the front and rear, off-road driveway parking, and a large double garage.
Ellesmere Road / Credit: Hunters
The property is currently on the market with the Worsley branch of estate agency chain, Hunters, for £1.15 million.
This has to be one of the most stunning properties currently on the market within the whole of Greater Manchester right now.
Strawberry Hill is a rare opportunity to purchase a breathtaking Grade II-listed Jacobean residence in the sought-after semi-rural Stockport suburb of Marple, set amidst nine acres of mature picturesque grounds with sweeping views of the River Goyt, and merely moments away from lots of local amenities and connections to the borough town and wider Greater Manchester region.
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Combining the best of country living and city life, the property has been renovated by the current owners to an incredibly-high standard throughout, yet has still retained original features such as fireplaces, beams, and sash windows.
Externally, the property’s grounds include pasture for horses, woodlands, and orchards, and there is also off-road parking for multiple vehicles.
Strawberry Hill / Credit: Julian Wadden
The property is currently on the market with the Marple branch of independent estate agents, Julian Wadden, for a Guide Price of £1.6 million.
Leyland Mill Farm is an incredible four-bedroom barn conversion set within a small community of converted farm buildings on the edge of the Haigh Hall Estate, in what was recently named one of the UK’s ‘poshest’ villages, combining the best of rural living with convenient access to all the amenities on on offer in the town of Wigan.
Overlooking woodlands to the rear, this stone-built barn is the largest of the conversions, and offers all the charming characteristics you’d expect of a property of this kind – with stunning features including a huge vaulted lounge, beamed ceilings, and large barn windows overlooking both the courtyard to the front and the grounds to the rear.
Converted approximately 28 years ago by the current owners, this property’s unique location ensures there is both peace and privacy, as well as the assurance that it’s not isolated.
Overdale is set within generous and private grounds in the sought-after Tameside village of Broadbottom, nearby to both picturesque countryside and the convenience of local amenities in the town of Hyde, as well as transport links across Greater Manchester and beyond, making it an ideal property for growing families to move straight into.
The superb living space on offer to prospective buyers includes a large modern kitchen-diner, several reception rooms, six bedrooms, and three bathrooms set over the first and second floors.
Externally, the property benefits from numerous outbuildings, a large double garage, and secure parking for several vehicles.
Overdale / Credit: Gascoigne Halman
The property is currently on the market with the Glossop branch of local estate agents, Gascoigne Halman, for £995,000.
Chapel Lane, Hale Barns, Altrincham, Trafford, Greater Manchester, WA15
Gascoigne Halman
Springwood / Credit: Gascoigne Halman
Detached | x6 Bedrooms | x5 Bathrooms
Situated in Hale Barns, which is by far one of Greater Manchester’s most affluent suburbs, and offered to the market with the added benefit of no onward chain is Springwood – an exceptional 21st-century mansion designed in the exquisite ‘Arts and Crafts’ style that provides extensive and luxurious living space in an exceptionally-private and mature setting.
The stunning six-bedroom detached family home was completed to the highest of standards back in 2009, and has been lovingly-maintained by the owners ever since.
As well as sprawling outdoor space, internally, accommodations are set over four floors, and the property pays homage to timeless architectural detail, while still embracing a contemporary design that’s perfectly-tailored for modern luxury living.
Springwood / Credit: Gascoigne Halman
The property is currently on the market with the Hale branch of local estate agents, Gascoigne Halman, for £3.95 million.
Emily Sergeant -
14th January 2021 
