More than £30 million of funding has been secured to allow 1,500 new homes to be built in Ancoats - hundreds of which could be affordable.
The £32.7 million package will allow for public realm and infrastructure improvements to be made in the area. In turn, this will pave the way for the 1,500 new properties , which the MEN understands could include hundreds of affordable properties.
Some of these homes will include the This City developments — the council’s new affordable housing firm, 30 percent of which will charge the ‘Manchester Living Rent’ . Other developments in the 1,500 figure will include Manchester Life’s Weavers Quay.
READ MORE: Inside the fight to stop city centre blocks being raided for parcels 'within minutes' of delivery
The work will get underway this year and be completed in 2026. Council leader Bev Craig says the work will put ‘people first’.
She said: “As the council looks to improve our neighbourhoods and drive positive development it is essential that we look at the whole picture on what makes an attractive and liveable community.
“The strategy in place for Ancoats is the realisation of our ambitions to promote active travel, increase the amount of green space and have sustainable housing at the heart of our communities.
“The historic layout of Ancoats, with its rigid streets bordered by old mill buildings have to some extent determined the way the area has developed. However, by putting people first and placing the needs of pedestrians at the heart of this plan, we hope that this can set a benchmark for future development.”
The work will create a connected network of streets and new spaces, which the council believes will ‘enhance and celebrate the area’s natural and built assets and extend a green character through the site’. The mobility hub — which will provide car parking, EV charging points, local car and bike clubs, a cycle hub, café and delivery hub for the local area, and will sit within a public square that links directly with Ancoats Green.
Sophie White, Homes England’s Director of Infrastructure Funding, added: “We are committed to working with ambitious local authority partners seeking to meet their local housing needs through delivery of key infrastructure.
“Our multimillion-pound funding will allow Manchester City Council to deliver much needed public realm and the innovative Ancoats mobility hub to encourage the use of sustainable travel modes. This investment will help to unlock critical housing sites in Ancoats and support the Council to achieve their wider housing targets."
The council is aiming to build more than 36,000 new homes by 2032, 10,000 of which will be at the Manchester Living Rent.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- Mum-of-eight's heartbreak as dream home destroyed just hours before family were due to move in
- Man killed friend with single punch after finding out he had fling with ex
- Inside the fight to stop city centre blocks being raided for parcels 'within minutes' of delivery
- This Greater Manchester postcode is the latest hotspot for first-time buyers
