The Greater Manchester Pension Fund has appointed the PJ Livesey Group as development partner for the proposed transformation of the Chorlton Shopping Centre in south Manchester.
The 3.2-acre site, bounded by Barlow Moor Road, Wilbraham Road and Nicolas Road, comprises the shopping centre, Graeme House and a 200-space surface car park.
A development framework, setting out residential-led regeneration, was agreed by Manchester City Council in 2017.
The brief is to create a “thriving and sustainable neighbourhood centre that captures the spirit of Chorlton”, with a mix of retail space, new housing, public space and integrated walking and cycle routes.
A public consultation will begin later in the year. Existing retail tenants will continue to trade as normal during the process.
James Woodmansee, development director at PJ Livesey, said: “This is a huge opportunity but also a huge challenge to get right and it has to meet the needs of the Chorlton community.
“We want it to be the centrepiece of the neighbourhood, a place where people come to shop, to meet and to live, with a range of high-quality housing available to meet all needs.
“This new partnership marks the start of new life for the shopping centre site, and it also marks the start of extensive consultation about what that new life should be and we want local people to help us shape that.”
Gareth Conroy of Avison Young, property manager to the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, said: “GMPF looks forward to working in partnership with PJ Livesey to deliver an exceptional development in this key location. Sustainability will be a focus of the project and we look forward to evolving the existing development framework to create something special which has a positive impact on Chorlton.
“The project is further evidence of GMPF’s continued investment within Greater Manchester, helping to stimulate the local economy whilst at the same time delivering much needed new homes.”
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