A major new addition to the housing market in Manchester is a step closer to reality with Far East Consortium’s appointment of an architect for a development close to Victoria Station.
FEC have announced that Hawkins\Brown will work on the Angelgate scheme just to the north of Victoria that they call a “landmark residential development”. It is to the first part of the ambitious £1 billion Northern Gateway project that could bring 15,000 new homes to a large area stretching from the city centre to Collyhurst. And a creative use of existing architecture could bring a taste of the Big Apple to Manchester.
The two-acre site for Angelgate has long been earmarked for regeneration, but has lain empty since contractor PHD1 and developer Pinnacle Angelgate both went into administration within months of each other around two years ago.
Angelgate will sit within the ‘Red Bank’ area, which could feature an innovative transformation of the railway viaduct as well as factoring in green space. Existing businesses in the railway arches will stay in the rebranded ‘Brewery Quarter’, with FEC keen to retain the character of the area.
Regenerating the Red Bank viaduct could also extend to installing green space and paths similar to New York’s High Line, where a disused elevated railway has been transformed into an acclaimed public space on the city’s West Side. It’s mooted that the viaduct could link up with a new entrance into Victoria Station from the north.
Take a look at Johnson’s Square – a sympathetic restoration of a distinctive Victoria building close to Manchester city centre.
“Having successfully acquired the first key site within the Northern Gateway, we are preparing exciting plans for an entirely new landmark residential development and intend to submit a planning application to Manchester City Council during 2019,” said Hilary Brett, development manager at FEC.
“Our selection of Hawkins\Brown as project architect on Dantzic Street, combined with Farrells’ masterplan vision for Northern Gateway, brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to the delivery of another new residential destination in the ongoing transformation of central Manchester as a place where people want to live and work.”
Gavin Taylor, Regional General Manager at @UK_FEC is responsible for the Angel Meadow and Northern Gateway projects, bringing over 10,000 homes to #Manchester. Gavin is joining us to share the latest development updates and what's planned for the future! https://t.co/2YuEzgkz73 pic.twitter.com/gmaeWTiqL7
— Movers & Shakers (@MoversShakersUK) January 21, 2019
