Ask Developments - Boddington Brewery site revealed
Manchester City Council Agrees A New
Development Framework for Ask Developments and Realty
Estates Scheme
Joint venture partners Ask Developments and Realty
Estates have today (Wednesday) put forward proposals for
the former Boddingtons Brewery site to the north of
Manchester's city centre in a £250m scheme.
Manchester City Council's Executive Committee agreed the
development framework for the three-hectare site, which
is set to include primarily offices, leisure and retail
facilities with a hotel, cafes, bars and restaurants and
residential units, with underground car parking.
The framework also looks into the practicality of using
the existing chimney, although it is not a listed
structure, as a landmark feature within the development.
The site was acquired in September 2006 with funding
provided by HSBC North West Corporate Banking Real
Estate team headed by Mr Phil Dare.
The masterplan for the site in conjunction with
Manchester City Council and appointed architects HOK has
been worked up over the past 12 months to ensure that
the site brings forward an employment led mixed-use
development with the creation of almost 2,000 jobs.
The 500,000 sq ft office component will be aimed at a
range of business occupiers, but catering specifically
for the needs of growing, smaller, creative businesses
who are being priced out of the traditional city centre
market and will offer a mix of commercial floorplate
sizes available on both a sale and leasehold basis.
There will also be the creation of a new high-quality
public central square within the heart of the
development, together with proposals for a new
pedestrian approach from New Bridge Street and a
landmark mixed-use building at the junction of New
Bridge Street and Deansgate to draw people into the
heart of the scheme.
Sustainability is also key to the site and the framework
highlights the development of low energy use buildings,
utilising the existing water supply to the site for the
purposes of heating buildings and providing water
supplies, as well as the possibility of the inclusion of
green walls and roofs to buildings to aid bio-diversity.
Alan Burke, Executive Director at Ask Developments said:
"We have worked hard with the City Council to agree an
exciting new future for this landmark site that will
maximise its economic potential and further strengthen
the city centre's offer.
"The locational attributes of the site, including
accessibility to the Manchester Evening News Arena,
Victoria Station and Deansgate, the heart of the retail
core, are all assets we have sought to capitalise on, in
bringing forward our development proposals."
Proposals for the former Boddington's site are being
co-ordinated with those being brought forward for the
wider surrounding area by consultants EDAW in their
Strangeways Local Plan. Strangeways has the highest
concentration of businesses outside the city centre -
more than five per cent of the total number of
businesses within the city.
City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: "The
Boddington's site, and Strangeways area, represent an
important gateway to and from North Manchester. While we
deplored the closure of the brewery, we were always
adamant that the site would be used to create more jobs.
It's very pleasing that 1,850 jobs are forecast,
compared to the 123 jobs lost when the brewery closed.
Overall these plans represent an outstanding opportunity
to drive renewed investment in the area north of the
city centre. They will also complement a host of other
regeneration initiatives in the surrounding area."
Yousef Tishbi, Managing Director of Realty Estates said
"This development will be another major achievement by
two Manchester based developers who have, during the
past three decades, been actively engaged in
revitalising some of the areas of Greater Manchester
which had suffered decline through loss of traditional
industries. Working closely with Manchester City Council
and Ask Developments, we are proud to be associated with
this great scheme, which aims at bringing back
prosperity and economic regeneration to the area".
The scheme is expected to be built over a 10 year period
with detailed planning applications made on a phased
basis and work is expected to start on site with the
first phase in Summer 2008.
Email:
caty.cartwright@skvpr.co.uk
Arundel Jones Associates Ltd
Hill Farm, Linton Hill, Maidstone, Kent ME17 4AL
Tel : 01622 745333
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