Muse and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group have secured planning consent for nearly 300 new social rent homes in Wythenshawe as part of a £500m regeneration project in the town.
The approved plans will see Brotherton House, a former office building, transformed into 216 new homes, including an extra care apartment building with 109 homes for people in later life and those living with dementia. The plans for the site also include 81 apartments and 25 two- and four-bedroom townhouses, with new landscaped gardens and green spaces to encourage local wildlife.
The retail and office space at C2 The Birtles will also be replaced with 81 one- and two-bedroom apartments, alongside new ground floor retail space to complement the wider Civic offering.
It is also anticipated that plans to rebuild Alpha House, which was recently demolished to be replaced by 125 one- and two-bedroom apartments, including 16 wheelchair accessible homes, will be approved in the coming weeks.
The wider masterplan for Wythenshawe will see up to 2,000 new homes created over the next 10 to 15 years, which will complement the wider investment currently underway in Civic.
Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Three hundred social rent homes approved by planning, ready to start on site – with more than 100 more to be approved soon – is a real statement of what we want to do in Wythenshawe. The regeneration of Civic and the wider town centre is about creating a place local people can be proud of and can afford to live in. Wythenshawe is already a strong community – this investment is about making sure we can invest in this neighbourhood so that generations of Wythenshawe people have the chance to be part of this community in the decades to come.”
Joe Stockton, development director at Muse, added: “Central to our shared vision for Wythenshawe town centre is creating new homes that people want to live in and that they can afford. We have responded to public feedback and to market requirements to deliver a range of suitable homes for those in later life or living with long-term illnesses, all well as those who need to be close to Civic and the benefits that brings. We’re thrilled to have received approval for the first two of three new communities, which means that we can maintain the momentum that we’ve built up to date, and create homes for everyone.”
Andrea Lowman, executive director of development at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, said: “For us, this is about delivering the truly affordable homes local people have told us they need. Every one of these homes will be for social rent, giving more families, older residents and people with additional needs the opportunity to live well in the heart of Wythenshawe. As the local social housing provider, we are focused not just on building new homes but on creating sustainable communities and making sure this investment strengthens the town centre for existing and future residents alike.”
