Gasworks' Dream To Become Reality

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Manchester’s £400 million ‘gasworks new town’ scheme has gotten the green light for 1,200 homes. The neighbourhood is one of seven envisioned by the £4 billion Victoria North masterplan.

The project will feature nine buildings ranging from 8 to 34 storeys on a 6.6-acre site has most recently been home to a car park. The green development will overwhelmingly prioritise walking and cycling over driving.

Those involved claim It will result in tens of millions of pounds being pumped into the city’s economy over the lifetime of the development.

 

Rochdale Road Gas Works

MCR Property Group is leading the project on the site of the former Rochdale Road Gas Works at the heart of Manchester, with a mixture of attractive townhouses and apartments.

MCR bought the site in 2015 with big plans to use it as the launchpad to rejuvenate the immediate area with a mixed-use destination development. The team, working with local stakeholders and the planning department, went through dozens of iterations to get the balance of housing provision, design and environmental amenities in balance. It received approval by Manchester City Council’s Planning Committee on 3 June 2021.

The scheme will be built in four phases with construction set to begin this summer, while the tallest residential tower is expected to be completed by the end of 2030.

 

Architects

Architects, AHR, included 1,224 cycle spaces as part of a determined effort to encourage more people to walk and cycle and help reduce the amount of traffic on local roads. Where there is underground parking, bays will have electric charging points for the next generation of environmentally friendly vehicles.

 

More to come

The Victoria North masterplan, formerly known as the Northern Gateway Strategic Regeneration Framework, will see the entire area north of the city centre transformed over the next 20 years by the delivery of 15,000 new homes across 383 acres.

MCR’s team of specialist consultants on the project included planning consultancy WSP, civil engineers BDP, architects AHR, landscape architects Planit-IE and highways consultancy Curtins. MCR also worked closely with international developer, Far East Consortium which is jointly funding and developing the Victoria North masterplan alongside Manchester City Council.

 

The people

Nick Lake, Asset Manager for MCR Property Group, said: “This is the jewel in the crown for MCR. We’re a Manchester based business and we all felt a responsibility to create something spectacular on home turf. We’re particularly proud of the project’s environmental credentials."

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “As one of the emerging neighbourhoods of Victoria North, New Town is aptly named. The Gasworks development will breathe life into a largely forgotten corner of the city centre fringe, bringing purpose and an energy to an area that is currently characterised by surface car parks."

Matthew Hard, Associate Director at planning consultancy WSP, commented: “We've reached the important milestone of having Manchester’s planning committee endorse the proposed redevelopment of the historic gasworks. Gasworks New Town will be a fantastic development in its own right and act as a catalyst for further regeneration of the post-industrial Irk Valley."

Dan Barnes, Regional Director at architects AHR, added: “AHR Architects are very pleased to have had the opportunity to lead the design team for this very exciting new development. The Gasworks will deliver a major new, vibrant and sustainable residential neighbourhood effectively extending the city centre and forming a significant part of Manchester’s Northern Gateway regeneration plans, delivering a range of high quality homes and generous new landscaped public realm."

Picture: Rochdale Road Gas Works.

www.mcrproperty.com

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
09th June 2021

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