POSTED: 16/09/2024
Great Places Housing Group has hosted the Leader of Manchester City Council and the council’s Housing Lead on a visit to two of our affordable housing developments in Manchester city centre.
Council Leader Cllr. Bev Craig and Cllr. Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Development were joined by our Chief Executive, Alison Dean and members of the project team on a tour of our developments at Laystall Street and Downley Drive to view progress on the two sites and to meet with residents that have moved into their completed homes at Downley Drive.
The two projects are the latest in our work in partnership with Manchester City Council to continue our long-standing commitment to the regeneration in the area and to bring forward a range of affordable housing options for those who wish to live close to the city centre.
Recent city centre affordable housing projects include the transformation of the iconic Ancoats Dispensary and Piercy Street in New Islington. We are also working in partnership with the Council on plans for two new affordable homes sites as part of the regeneration of the Grey Mare Lane estate close to the city centre.
The group first visited our £28m flagship Downley Drive development in New Islington, being delivered in partnership with Rowlinson Construction and Buttress Architects, a mix of 23 two and three-bedroom houses sold through shared ownership, and 45 one and two-bedroom apartments available for social rent. Acquired from Manchester City Council, part-funded by Homes England through Great Places’ latest Homes England Strategic Partnership and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) through their Brownfield Housing Fund, the Downley Drive site is our first low-carbon development which looks to combine high-quality design with low carbon sustainability.
The group also had the opportunity to speak to new residents who have moved into the recently completed shared ownership homes and to view progress on the social rent apartments that are scheduled to be completed in autumn 2025. Key low-carbon features include air source heat pumps, enhanced insulation, mechanical heat recovery and a solar panel array on the apartments. The development will also include parking with Electric Vehicle charging points and cycle stores.
The group then went on to visit our £21m Laystall Street site to view early stages of the site’s progress. The nine-storey residential development is being delivered in partnership with Eric Wright Construction and OMI Architects and part-funded by Homes England and the GMCA.
Once completed the new development, which will be marketed as Dovecote House, will provide 89 one and two-bed apartments available for Rent to Buy (58) and Social Rent (31) in the city centre. Dovecote House is the second project to start work at the site under the planning permission following Manchester-based developer, McCauls’ transformation of the Grade II-listed Armitage Showroom adjacent into 5,000 sq. ft of office space (Sligo House). The new homes are due to be completed in Spring 2026.
Commenting on the visit Cllr Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council, said:
We know we need more housing of all types across our city to meet demand – and importantly we need more affordable housing.
As part of our housing strategy we have set an ambitious target to deliver at least 10,000 affordable homes city-wide up to 2032 – and 3,000 of these will be in the city centre, increasing opportunities for all our residents to choose to live centrally in Manchester.
This is about creating real housing options and supporting our residents to live in quality homes and in great communities – and developments like this by Great Places are helping to meet a clear need for quality housing in the city centre that our residents can afford.
Alison Dean, our Chief Executive, added:
We were delighted to welcome Cllrs Craig and White to our developments at Laystall Street and Downley Drive.
These projects exemplify our commitment to providing high-quality, affordable housing that meets the needs of Manchester’s communities while also prioritising sustainability.
Downley Drive with its low-carbon features, represents a significant step forward in our efforts to create environmentally friendly homes. Meanwhile, the Laystall Street project will offer much-needed affordable housing options close to the city centre.
We’re proud of the progress made and look forward to continuing our work in partnership with Manchester City Council, Homes England, the GMCA and other stakeholders to deliver these essential affordable homes.
