Plans for a block of new townhouses in Manchester city centre have been revealed, transforming an underused plot of land in town.
If the plans go ahead, we could see 21 new townhouses, with private roof terraces and basement parking, built in one of the city’s most rapidly-developing districts.
PH Property Holdings Ltd are proposing to build the new high-quality three-bedroom homes around a treelined courtyard.
While developments in Manchester tend to shoot straight up in the air, building sky-high apartments in modern skyscrapers, this one is approaching things a little differently.
The plans are to add ‘premium, low-rise family homes’ to this part of town, bringing it back into residential use as it was from the late 18th until the mid-20th century.
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The homes that previously stood here were demolished after the Second World War, later becoming car parking for Granada Studios, and then an enclosed garden with Breeze Studios within it, which remained in use until the studio’s closure in 2013.
While these days it looks to be a patch of rare green space in the city centre, the proposed site isn’t actually accessible to the public currently.
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It stands between the revamped Grape Street (which leads to the St John’s district and Aviva Studios), the new Soho House and Mollie’s Motel building, the former Great John Street Hotel, and St John’s Gardens, and is just a stone’s throw from the Science and Industry Museum.
Where the new townhouses could be built in Manchester. Credit: PH Property Holdings Ltd
The proposals say: “High-quality architecture and sensitive landscaping will ensure the development fits well with the surrounding neighbourhood while enhancing the public realm and creating an attractive, welcoming environment.
“The overall ambition is to create a sustainable residential community that contributes positively to the area’s character.
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“The proposal will help diversify Manchester’s city-centre housing offer through the introduction of premium family townhouses in a location that has historically served a residential purpose. By reinstating the site’s former use, the development will help meet the city’s housing targets, strengthen the area’s sense of place, and support a more balanced housing mix in the city centre.”
You can have your say on the proposals HERE, until 1 February.
There will also be a public drop-in session on Tuesday 27 January 2026 at Castlefield Hotel (Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4JR) from 4pm to 7pm.
Molly-Mae Hague revisits first Manchester flat, now on the market for £185k
Daisy Jackson
Molly-Mae Hague’s first Manchester flat is now on the market for £185k – and the star herself has paid a visit to her old digs.
Those who have been following Molly-Mae since before she shot to serious fame on Love Island will have recognised the backdrop of her recent TikTok video.
The 27-year-old reality TV star and businesswoman posed around the one-bedroom flat, dancing to Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘House Tour’.
The apartment is where she lived just before entering Love Island, and where she and now-fiance Tommy Fury lived briefly when they left the show.
And now that exact flat where she really launched her social media career has been listed for sale, at £185,000.
The corner apartment stands on the 17th floor of Islington Wharf, overlooking New Islington tram stop and right on the doorstep of Ancoats.
Her former landlord, who arranged for Molly-Mae to have one look around her old flat before it’s sold, said that she was a ‘lovely, polite and down-to-earth young woman, and an excellent tenant who looked after the apartment extremely well.’
The one bedroom apartment has double-aspect floor-to-ceiling windows which look across Manchester on one side, and out towards the Pennines on the other.
It’s listed for sale with no chain and the option to include existing furnishings (which seems to include the same couch Molly-Mae had at the time).
The flat also has a kitchen/living space, a communal garden, superfast broadband, and is within walking distance of Manchester Piccadilly.
New measures announced to tackle ‘rogue’ landlords across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A cohort of trained enforcement officers are set to hit the streets in all 10 boroughs to help improve the lives of the region’s renters.
Forming part of Greater Manchester‘s commitment to the highest-quality housing standards alongside the Good Landlord Charter, the newly trained enforcement officers will be tasked with protecting tenants, joining Council teams in checking rental properties, bringing enforcement action against bad landlords, and cracking down on illegal practices.
The introduction of the new enforcement officers comes after what has been ‘years of sustained pressure’ on local budgets.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) says it is working with the 10 councils across the region to strengthen local teams, rebuild in-house skills and expertise, and ensure that powers can be applied with consistency in all boroughs.
As mentioned, this is happening alongside the Good Landlord Charter – which is GMCA’s ‘bold approach’ to drive up standards for renters across the region.
Landlords of more than half of rented properties in Greater Manchester have now signed up as supporters of the Charter, and as supporters, they have committed to going above and beyond legal minimums to improve the renting experience for hundreds of thousands of people.
“A safe place to call home is the cornerstone of a happy, healthy life,” explained Mayor Bev Craig. “But for years, people have felt trapped in poor-quality housing, and cash-strapped councils were unable to step in to help. I’m putting an end to that.
“We know there are plenty of good landlords in Greater Manchester, and many of them have already signed up to our Good Landlord Charter, but too many are just not good enough.
“That’s why we’re deploying a new generation of expert housing officers onto the streets of our towns and cities.”
Mayor Bev Craig declared that she ‘won’t stand by and let rogue landlords take advantage of people’.
She continued: “By empowering renters, working with responsible landlords, and using our powers to crack down on the bad ones, I will make sure everyone in Greater Manchester has the foundation for a good life.”
Daisy Jackson -
16th January 2026 
