A 140-acre regeneration of Manchester city centre is being prepared to make the city “HS2 ready”.
A new strategic regeneration framework to be considered at a meeting of the council next week proposed a vast regeneration scheme that will overhaul the city’s Piccadilly and Mayfield areas.
The project would create up to 6.7m sq ft of commercial space, 4,500 new homes, over 4.3m sq ft of public space and over 1m sq ft of retail and leisure space.
The first phase of the scheme would be focused on the Mayfield area and preparing infrastructure works.
If the plans come to fruition, four new neighbourhoods could be created at Piccadilly North, East Village, Piccadilly Central and Mayfield.
There would also be development opportunities around the airport, and potential extensions of the Metrolink at Piccadilly station.
Phase 2 of HS2, which would see new stations at Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly open in 2032, is currently out to consultation, with a decision expected by the end of 2014.
Bennetts Associates is lead architect on the scheme. Jones Lang LaSalle is acting as commercial adviser, and Mace is quantity surveyor.
At Piccadilly North, the area’s historic street pattern is to be reinstated, while East Village will become a mixed-use development with a residential focus around the canal basins.
Piccadilly central is set to become an area of large office developments around public squares, with high-rise residential towers and a new city park.
Mayfield, meanwhile, is set to become a new mixed-use district on the banks of a remediated River Medlock.
A separate regeneration study is underway regarding Holt Town to the north-east of the Piccadilly SRF, which seeks to improve connections with the area.
The report stated: “HS2 has the potential to provide a catalyst which can attract further investment into greater Manchester by creating a new, attractive and highly connected gateway.”
“The additional investment in Piccadilly represents a unique opportunity to transform and regenerate the eastern gateway to the city centre and push the boundaries of the city centre eastwards.”
chris.berkin@estatesgazette.com
