The first phase of the £1.4 billion regeneration of Manchester’s Mayfield has been approved for development.
This will see a derelict part of Manchester’s industrial heritage transformed into a distinctive and imaginative mixed-use neighbourhood around a new public park. It will include extensive public space; 319,900 sq ft of world-class commercial space across two buildings, The Poulton and The Republic; and a 581-space multi-storey car park equipped with electric vehicle charging points.
The neighbourhood is designed around a new 6.5-acre park, which will be built along the banks of the newly uncovered River Medlock and will be overlooked by the two new commercial buildings.
The Poulton, designed by Bennetts Associates, will provide 75,900 sq ft of commercial space and feature a double-height, flexible ground floor that will be open to the public throughout the day and evening for uses that could include wellbeing activities, leisure and co-working. It is complemented by The Republic, designed by Morris+Company, a 13-storey, 244,000 sq ft flagship office development that includes larger floorplates and landscaped roof terraces.
The park, new commercial spaces and car park will sit alongside a range of historic buildings, including the landmark former station on Fairfield Street, which are being retained and redeveloped as part of the wider regeneration plans. The vast depot building has already been transformed into a new cultural venue, Depot Mayfield, which contributed to bringing 330,000 visitors to Mayfield in 2019, after more than 30 years of decline.
Work is expected to commence on-site on the park and the buildings this year.
This project is being brought to life by the Mayfield Partnership, which comprises Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), LCR and regeneration specialist U+I.
Richard Upton, Chief Development Officer at U+I, said: “Mayfield will be one of the UK’s defining urban developments this decade. These plans for the first phase bring together exceptional new workplaces with cultural space, centred on a beautifully landscaped park that will provide a transformative and sustainable public amenity for the people of Manchester long into the future.
“From welcoming tens of thousands of visitors every week at one of the UK’s best new cultural venues – Depot Mayfield – to the range of enterprises that already call Mayfield home, this long-dormant area is already playing an active role in the city’s life once again.
“When work begins this year, we will channel that energy into the soulful regeneration of Mayfield to create an inclusive, diverse, socially and economically productive neighbourhood which will attract businesses, residents and visitors, all drawn by the quality and vibrancy of the environment.
“We are incredibly excited about its future as an imaginative and distinctive place in a globally significant city.”
