Property

Kampus opens The Stack with private gym, cinema and dining room

Capital & Centric's waterside complex is inviting renters to view 123 apartments in the redeveloped 1960s university building.

The Manc The Manc - 26th July 2021

Kampus neighbourhood in Manchester city centre has officially announced the grand opening of The Stack – showcasing over 100 brand new one-bed and two-bed apartments in a former university building on Aytoun Street.

Part of Capital & Centric’s waterside complex, The Stack – which is a joint venture with developers HBD – has been redeveloped from a 1960s Manchester Metropolitan University tower block into a modern living space – designed with exposed concrete and original ‘waffle’ ceilings.

The Stack features a gym with free weights, cardio and core equipment; a yoga studio; 24-hour concierge; dog walking services; dry cleaning; a private cinema, lounge, dining room; and a number of terraces. 

Residents can also move into the building without needing to pay a deposit.

The Stack is the latest part of Kampus to open

Viewings for the 123 apartments at The Stack will take place from Monday (July 26) – with high demand expected.

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Positioned alongside Canal Street, the £250m Kampus has steadily opened its 534 apartments and continued to grow throughout the year.

A range of independent bars, restaurants, cafés and retail from brands have set up shop within the neighbourhood, including General Stores, Cornerstone pub by Common & Co, Nell’s Pizza, Levenshulme wine bar Isca, and bagel/florist outlet Bread Flower.  

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123 apartments are up for grabs at The Stack

The Stack lives alongside the already lived in North Block, sister building South Block and two Victorian shipping warehouses, Minto & Turner and Minshull House.

The rest of Kampus is expected to open before the end of 2021.

For further information, visit the Kampus website.

Property

This unassuming house in Altrincham has a hidden hillside Hobbit house in the garden

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

From this outside, this home in Altrincham looks pretty normal – at street-level it just looks like your standard suburban dormer bungalow, albeit with some fairly stunning architecture.

But head around to the back garden, and there’s a surprise in store, for included in its £4.5m price tag is an actual Hobbit house, buried into the hillside.

The adorable addition comes complete with round wooden door, stone walls, and a tiny bench outside.

It appears that the current owners are using it as a cosy den or office space.

That’s not all in that massive one-acre garden either – there’s also a safari-style tree hut wedged up on stilts, accessed up a wooden spiral staircase from a decked area.

Then you get to the rest of the house in Trafford, which is way, way bigger than it looks from the front.

Inside the main building, there are six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and two reception rooms, plus all manner of luxury touches like dressing rooms, en suites and a utility room.

The rear of the Altrincham house with its own hobbit house.
The rear of the Altrincham home with its own Hobbit house. Credit: Savills Knutsford
The actual Hobbit house.
The actual Hobbit house. Credit: Savills Knutsford
An African treehouse on stilts in the garden.
An African treehouse on stilts in the garden. Credit: Savills Knutsford
The pool.
The pool. Credit: Savills Knutsford

The lounge is a striking focal point, built into a round extension with floor-to-ceiling windows soaking in the views of the lush gardens.

There’s also a sitting room with a pitched roof and oak beams, which, again, feels like it’s been lifted straight out of Hobbiton (though thankfully built for taller humans).

Oh, did I mention it has a pool, too?

The cosy sitting room. Credit: Savills Knutsford
The grand lounge with huge windows. Credit: Savills Knutsford
The sauna. Credit: Savills Knutsford
Views from a bedroom. Credit: Savills Knutsford

There’s a whole spa building, with an indoor pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and gymnasium/office area, with bi-fold doors opening onto the gardens and barbecue area.

It’s up for sale at £4.5m with Savills in Knutsford, who say: “This fabulous family home is situated in a desirable pocket of Bowdon in an extremely private and secure position.

“The gardens are private and extensive, extending to one acre.”

Property agent Jamie Carter added: “This really is a unique and fantastic family home. I love that there is a real life Hobbit house in the garden.”

You can see the full listing with Rightmove here.

Featured image: Savills Knutsford

Property

Plans to demolish Premier Inn and replace it with 38-storey student skyscraper approved

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Plans to build a huge skyscraper of student accommodation have been approved, with the existing Deansgate Locks Premier Inn on the site demolished.

The plans were first submitted in November 2022, replacing the hotel on Medlock Street with a 38-storey building that will provide rooms for 1014 students. 

Also in the plans is a 13-storey office building, providing 36,000 sq m of Grade A office space. 

The proposal includes a new piece of artwork which is nine storeys tall, the artist behind which will be chosen through a competition. 

Whitbread, the company behind Premier Inn Hotels, is working with property developers Dominvs Group on the huge development.

They say they also plan to include three new public spaces – ‘The Wood’, which will resemble native UK woodland; ‘Rain Garden’, which will manage rain in a ‘playful and sustainable way’; and ‘Edge Street’, which will be a new green street with trees and ornamental plants.

They say: “Whitbread and Dominvs Group are bringing forward proposal at One Medlock Street that will contribute to the ongoing transformation at First Street, supporting a vibrant growing community, making an attractive and sustainable setting for work, living and study.

“At street level the scheme opens the site up, creating activity to enhance the pedestrian experience through a series of high-quality street and a new public realm.

“The proposed scheme is a mixed-use, office and purpose-build student accommodation scheme.

“As part of the current proposals, the Premier Inn building would be demolished and redeveloped.”

Featured image: Whitbread / Dominvs

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