They have been caught in the crossfire of countless political arguments over affordable housing. But for people living at Didsbury Point, it's not just politics.
Plans for an eight-storey block of flats at the former Withington Hospital site have now been given the green light despite dozens of objections. Residents living on the new build estate behind it are so worried about the impact it will have on their neighbourhood, that some have even considered moving out.
The 76 apartments - all of which would be 'affordable' - are an important part of Manchester council's plans for housing across the city. But neighbours feel their concerns over the development have been overlooked for this reason.
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Located in the local election 'swing seat' of Didsbury West, leaflets and letters about the unpopular plans by housing association Southway regularly land on their doormats as councillors compete to represent their residents' views. But at the town hall, the debate over this development descends into party politics.
Chantelle Carroll, who lives in Georgia Avenue, describes the battle between Labour and the Lib Dems over this development as 'political ping pong' and says it will 'definitely' sway some voters in the marginal council ward. But the political mudslinging over affordable housing seems to miss the point – the objections are not about the type of housing planned on this site, she says.
"If it was 76 apartments that were being built for sale, we would have the same objections," she said. "If it wasn't affordable, they wouldn't have approved it."
Objectors describe the scheme - which is similar in height to the neighbouring One Didsbury Point offices, but backs onto their homes - as 'overdevelopment' and worry it will block sunlight reaching their beloved communal green space. And they fear the lack of parking in the plans will exacerbate existing issues.
Drop-off and pick-up time at the new Didsbury High School which neighbours the site is 'absolutely nuts', according to the objectors, and they worry it will get worse when a sixth form opens on the site in September. They say the roads are already 'really dangerous' for children walking to school and argue that allowing a development with 'insufficient' parking will make it worse.
Town hall planners have promised to address the parking problems that plague the area. But by signing off a scheme which provides just 35 parking spaces for the 76 new flats - and a further 25 for the new medical centre planned on the site - objectors say they're only adding to the problem.
"There are existing infrastructure issues," according to Jen Beaver who has lived in Clearwater Drive for seven years. "Things are already not working."
Her husband Graham says that the family has contemplated leaving because of this development, but it is the 'community feeling' that keeps them there. "The kids are all the same age," he said. "They all go to the same school."
But even the children are consumed by the controversy. James, 6, and his sister Izzy, 3, made posters opposing the proposal. "The parking issue at the moment is going to get worse if the flats get built," the six-year-old explained.
The Beavers' family home will be one of the closest to the new development with a two-storey car park attached to the block backing onto their property. However, Jen is keen to stress that it's not just the people who live in close proximity to the flats who are affected by the plans – it's the whole estate.
All three Didsbury West councillors - two Labour and one Lib Dem - raised concerns on behalf of residents at a planning committee meeting last month. Several residents attended the meeting too, but some decided not to because they felt it was a 'done deal', according to Lib Dem councillor John Leech.
"I'm sure you'd want to assure residents that's not the case," he told the chair of the planning committee at the meeting held on January 19, "but given what's in the report, I can understand why some residents felt that it wasn't worth coming because the decision was already going to be made."
The Lib Dem questioned a council report about the current traffic levels and parking on the roads, telling the committee that 'pretty much everything' in it was 'wrong or inaccurate'. But council officers insisted that the close proximity to public transport means many new residents will not require parking spaces.
Both local Labour councillors acknowledged that there are problems with parking and traffic in the area. Greg Stanton said that the developer has now addressed some of these concerns, but asked his colleagues to visit the site at school pick-up or drop-off times to see the situation for themselves first.
The committee did not accept his invitation, but councillors agreed that a car parking management strategy should be required from the developer. This means that the developer will have to work with the local authority to make sure parking arrangements are working properly and review them if they are not.
Coun Stanton, who left the Lib Dems to join the ruling group in 2020, also told the committee that residents repeatedly raise affordable housing with him, recognising the area requires more of it. He dismissed claims of 'NIMBYism'.
"There has been a suggestion that this is because people in Didsbury don't want affordable housing," he said. "That isn't something that I recognise."
The planning committee approved the application with five councillors voting in favour of it and four abstaining. But the meeting was over shadowed by 'serious allegations' made by Coun Leech against some Labour councillors.
A member of the planning committee himself, the former MP objected to the application before the meeting which meant he was not allowed to vote on it. However, he accused other members of the committee of breaking the rules by taking part in the debate despite having distributed leaflets in support of the development – allegations which were dismissed by the chair of planning.
Labour councillor John Flanagan, a long-serving committee member, said he had 'never heard anything so disgraceful'. "It's no wonder that residents don't have confidence in politicians when statements like that are made," he said.
Coun Leech has long criticised Manchester council for the lack of affordable housing built in the city. Now he is repeatedly reminded of his opposition to this development in his ward when he raises the issue in the council chamber.
Residents returned from the planning committee meeting last month to find another letter about the development, this time from their Labour councillors. The letter written by Coun Stanton explains that he and his fellow Labour councillor Debbie Hilal, raised the concerns of residents to the committee.
It also accuses the Liberal Democrats of not voting to oppose the application 'as promised'. However, Coun Leech denies ever having promised to vote against the application, because he was not a member of the planning committee when the intial plans for the scheme were first published.
Last year, Manchester council approved an 'ambitious' new housing strategy which aims for 36,000 homes to be built across the city over the next decade. The strategy also says that 10,000 of these new homes should be affordable.
The new approach comes after council leader Bev Craig took over the reins of the town hall from Sir Richard Leese who was in charge for 25 years. She has said that Manchester needs a mix of different types of housing all over the city.
Labour councillor Gavin White, who is Manchester's executive member for housing and development says the council particularly wants affordable housing to be built in areas where property costs are currently higher. He said: "We welcome the fact that developments like Didsbury Point will help diversify the housing market in areas like Didsbury, ensuring there are genuinely affordable homes in every part of our city that can be accessed by as many Manchester people as possible.
"However, we also understand that development proposals and the planning process can be very important for people living nearby in communities with sites being developed for housing - but the planning committee must make decisions on any application based on national and local planning frameworks, along with site specific considerations.
"The planning process must balance the merits of a proposal and the outcomes it would deliver, such as affordable housing, against potential harm and will always look to mitigate adverse impact caused by a development."
Responding to objections, Jonathan Turner, assistant director of development at Southway Housing Trust, said that all planning and technical matters were carefully considered by the design team, Manchester council and other organisations consulted during the pre-application and planning stage. The application did not receive any objections from these statutory consultees.
He said: "Southway did make some changes to the scheme following feedback from some local residents during the pre-application consultation and we remain committed to engaging with the local community as the plans progress. This is an important development to provide much needed affordable homes for people in Didsbury."
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