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Plans to transform vacant site at 788 Stockport Road, Levenshulme approved
Property developer Views announced it has received planning approval from Manchester City Council to transform the 0.5 acre island site at 788 Stockport Road, Levenshulme into 39 new homes and 5,500 sq ft of ground floor retail/leisure space.
Designed by architects Ollier Smurthwaite, inspiration has been taken from the surrounding established Victorian terraced streets, while also addressing Stockport Road and creating a truly modern, mixed use development. A lot of consideration has been given to making high quality and inviting shop frontages for the eight retail units which will provide opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
There will be 24, two bedroom and 12, one bedroom apartments on the upper floors and two, three bedroom townhouses facing Pennington Street. A 800 sq ft roof garden will provide a relaxing communal space for all residents, while seven new street trees will be planted to help contribute greenery and biodiversity to the adjoining terraced streets.
Modern materials will be used to help make the new homes and business spaces as sustainable and energy efficient as possible. Bicycle parking is provided for each new home, 22 car parking spaces are being provided for residents along with EV charging points.
Patrick Sheridan, senior development manager, Views said: “Gaining planning permission for 788 Stockport Road is a very significant step for us to bring this key, long time vacant site back into use, providing much needed new homes and high quality, attractive retail opportunities. We hope it will make a lasting, positive contribution to the wider local area, particularly along the busy Stockport Road corridor.”
Matt Ollier, Ollier Smurthwaite Architects said: “This part of Levenshulme has so much potential with good housing stock, a rail station, a park and its proximity to the city centre. It currently feels unloved with vacant sites and badly maintained buildings in need of some TLC. Our proposals for 788 Stockport Road draw on the areas historic character to create a high quality landmark building that will act as catalyst for further regeneration in the area.”
The planning announcement was featured in regional business titles including Place North West and Insider.
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Views submits plans for 136 Withington Road, Whalley Range
Property developer Views has submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for its proposals to transform 136 Withington Road, Whalley Range, into 35 new homes.
Views, working with architects Ollier Smurthwaite, have developed the proposals which include a new build extension which will wrap around the original late 19th century building. Influenced by the neighbouring Victorian villas, the new build design will feature their key characteristics including heritage red bricks, stone cills and bay windows.
The plans will create 13, one bedroom apartments and 18, two bedroom apartments, and a mews terrace featuring 2, two bedroom and 2, three bedroom houses set around a shared residents’ lawn. All ground floor apartments and the mews houses will have private terrace gardens.
Car and cycle parking is incorporated into the site, along with charging facilities. The mature trees will be retained and will be complemented with new planting to encourage biodiversity.
Patrick Sheridan, senior development manager, Views said: “Our proposals for 136 Withington Road allow us to retain the historic original building and complement it with a contemporary extension which fully respects its neighbourhood. It will be a privilege for us to bring this much loved local landmark, which has sadly fallen into disrepair attracting anti-social behaviour, back to life to provide much needed new homes.”
Matt Ollier, Ollier Smurthwaite Architects said: “The existing building pre-dates the Samuel Brooks masterplan of 1834. This site has a long and varied history and has undergone multiple alterations in that time. The essence of the original farmhouse and outbuilding is not lost in the site’s next new chapter.”
Last year Views held two public consultations, one at the site and a later one online, for the emerging proposals and the plans were well received.
About 136 Withington Road
The original building was called Walton Cottage and it was a private family home from 1887, then the British Red Cross used the building as an auxiliary hospital between 1914-16.
It is understood the British Red Cross owned the building up to 1971 when the Walton Cottage Education Trust purchased it, with funds provided by Vanessa Redgrave. It then became known as the Nello James Centre after C.L.R. James, a West Indian born cultural historian, cricket writer and political activist and a leading figure in the Pan-African movement. The centre closed approximately 10 years ago and fell into disrepair. In 2015 the local community campaigned to purchase the centre but unfortunately were not successful.
Views purchased the property from the Walton Cottage Education Trust in 2020. Walton Cottage Education Trust informed Views in May 2021 that they are using the proceeds from the sale of the property to re-establish a facility within Manchester.
Avison Young is the planning consultant on behalf of Views.
The planning submission announcement was covered locally by publications including The Business Desk and architecture trade magazine The Architects Journal.
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Plans submitted for new homes at Victoria Park, South Manchester
Manchester based property development and investment company Britannia Group announced it has submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for its proposals to create 72 new homes on the former probation centre site on Daisy Bank Road, Victoria Park.
A large, detached property known as Stafford House occupied the corner of Daisy Bank Road and Laindon Road from the 1890’s until it was demolished in the 1960’s to make way for the probation centre, and Britannia Group’s plans include a new 3.5 storey building to occupy the corner once again.
The new building will include 23, one bedroom apartments and 14, two bedroom apartments with private ground floor gardens, and parking and shared gardens to the rear.
To the south of the site a series of seven blocks will accommodate 15, three bedroom and 15 four bedroom family townhouses; two, one bed and two, two bed apartments and one, six bedroom house. All houses facing on to the road will have front and rear gardens. The houses will back on to private courtyards, shared green space and a kitchen garden. All parking is incorporated into internal courtyards which are screened from the street and each townhouse is allocated one in-curtilage parking space.
The proposals were the subject of a public consultation in September last year, at which it received a positive response. The final development will have a GDV in the region of £16.5 million.
Nick Carter, development director, Britannia Group said: “We are very excited by our plans to transform the site, especially bringing a large building back to the corner of Daisy Bank Road and Laindon Road and creating much needed new family homes for the area.”
While the site is located just outside the Victoria Park Conservation Area, which dates to 1837 and includes 20 Listed buildings, the proposed designs by Ollier Smurthwaite Architects take into consideration the characteristics of Victoria Park, including massing, height, materials and colours, as well details such as pitched roofs, projecting gables, garden walls, gate posts, door and window style and front and rear gardens.
Matt Ollier, Ollier Smurthwaite Architects said: “The scheme takes a derelict brownfield site suffering from anti-social behaviour and proposes high quality houses and apartments for inter-generational living. A strong sense of community is promoted through the front and rear gardens, shared lawns and a kitchen garden. We are also incorporating a large number of existing mature trees along Daisy Bank Lane into the development.”
Avison Young is the planning consultant on behalf of Britannia Group.
This news announcement on behalf of Britannia Group achieved coverage in several regional titles including Place North West and Insider.
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Views submits plans for Levenshulme development
Mancunian property developer Views confirmed it has submitted a planning application to Manchester City council for its proposals to transform 764 – 786 Stockport Road in Levenshulme into a new mixed-use development with 9,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space on the ground floor and 30 apartments on three upper floors, all set in high quality landscaping.
The proposed development, for which a public consultation was held in February this year, will replace the existing unoccupied buildings on the 0.21 hectare site to create a sustainable scheme providing nine new commercial spaces for local entrepreneurs and ten, one bedroom and 20, two bedroom new homes. The final development will have a GDV in the region of £7million.
Patrick Sheridan, senior development manager, Views said: “We are very excited about our plans for 764-786 Stockport Road and we realised it was important to share them with our local neighbours before we submitted a formal planning application, and most of the responses to the consultation were supportive. 764-786 Stockport Road has the opportunity to offer a more diverse retail offering that meets the needs of the flourishing Levenshulme community.”
Designed by Manchester based Ollier Smurthwaite Architects the proposals are conceived as three buildings which step down from four to two storeys to tie in with the buildings either side. High quality materials, large areas of glazing and refined detailing will deliver a building of merit and provide further regeneration benefits.
Avison Young is the planning consultant on behalf of Views.
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Purple makes the move to Arbeta
Purple, the tech company expert in transforming venues worldwide into intelligent spaces today announced it has taken 2,852 sq ft on the second floor of Arbeta, Northampton Road, Manchester as its new UK headquarters.
Founded in 2012 and with offices all over the world, Purple is a specialist in indoor venue intelligence providing businesses across the world with digital solutions to understand, optimise and improve customer experience, while driving revenue and capturing CRM data.
With a team of 85 working remotely across the UK, Arbeta is the place where teams can come together to meet, share and collaborate.
Gavin Wheeldon, chief executive, Purple said: “We chose Arbeta because the space and environment in the building reflects who we are as a business. It is modern, we love the collaboration spaces and it’s really flexible. We have around 85 staff in the UK now and while we are remote first it’s a great place for us to come together. It’s close to local transport links and therefore easily accessible which is important to us.”
Arbeta is owned by Manchester City Council and is operated by the same team behind The Sharp Project, Space Studios and Screen Manchester.
Rob Page, managing director, Arbeta said: “We are delighted to welcome Purple to Arbeta, our space and flexibility suits them very well. As well as their office, Purple can make use of our event space, meeting rooms and atrium spaces depending on how many of the team are visiting them at any one time.”
OBI is sole leasing agent for Arbeta. Andrew Cowell, transactions and asset management, OBI said: “With Purple moving into Arbeta we are seeing tech and digital businesses clustering together in the building. With companies reassessing their work space requirements, Arbeta offers true flexibility with its Plug and Play offer as well as providing businesses with a blank canvas to design their own work space as Mission Labs has recently done.”
Arbeta offers Grade A workspace for tech, creative and digital businesses with space available from 1,400 sq ft to 71,900 sq ft. The ground floor features fully fitted Plug and Play spaces which range from 1,400 sq ft to 2,787 sq ft. The Plug and Play spaces are offered on short term, flexible leases and include kitchens and meeting rooms.
The building features a 9,100 sq ft central, full height atrium which can be used for communal working and events. A striking steel staircase links the three floors of workspace together with new walkways around each level. There is ample cycle and car parking, a shower block, 24/7 access, collaboration and event space, a range of meeting rooms and onsite cafe.