The first residents will begin to move in through the summer as This City begins completion phase for its development in the heart of Manchester.
The No. 1 Ancoats Green development of 129 low carbon homes – a mix of 119 apartments and 10 town houses – using Council-owned land to build the homes that the city needs with a range of sizes from one to four bedrooms.
30% of the homes will be let at the genuinely affordable Manchester Living Rent, which can be covered by the local housing allowance and therefore affordable to as many people in the city as possible.
The project started on site in 2023 as the maiden development for This City (the Council’s housing development company) with the aim of increasing the delivery of homes to meet demand using brownfield land, while also improving access to genuinely affordable housing and creating more options for Manchester residents.
No. 1 Ancoats Green overlooks a transformed Ancoats Green with the public realm surrounding the homes seamlessly into the new park and through to the Ancoats neighbourhood.
The homes have the facilities and attractions of the city centre on their doorstep, serviced by great transport links together with walking and cycling routes.
Each of the properties have large triple glazed windows, alongside industry leading air tightness and insulation for energy efficiency to keep the homes cool in the summer and keep running costs down in the winter months.
Residents will also have the opportunity to make use of the brand new Ancoats Mobility Hub for cycle storage, electric vehicle charging and car parking.
No. 1 Ancoats Green represents the first phase of an exciting pipeline of projects for This City that will see more than 1,500 new homes built in the second phase – delivered in partnership with Greater Manchester Pension Fund. See notes to editors for more information.
There will also be an open day taking place on Friday, August 1, at 11am, where members of the public will be able to visit the development and receive a personalised tour of the site, with an opportunity to have their questions answered by a member of the team.
This City is contributing the Council’s ambitious housing strategy that has set an ambitious target to deliver at least 36,000 homes between 2022 and 2032. At least 10,000 will be for social rent, Council and genuinely affordable homes – of which at least 3,000 will be in the city centre.
Leader of Manchester City Council, Cllr Bev Craig, said: “No. 1 Ancoats Green is the product of a vision we have had since the inception of This City, to use our own land to build the homes we know our residents want and need, to a high specification, and on our own terms.
For many years it has been incredibly challenging for Councils to build homes to meet demand, but through This City we are proving that it is possible – while also delivering genuinely affordable housing for our residents.
This is only the beginning for This City and through our new joint venture partnership with the GM pension fund, we are scaling up delivery and we have more than 1,500 new homes in the coming years with sites across the city.”
Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development, said: “This is an exciting milestone for This City. I’ve been following the progress of this development from the beginning and it’s brilliant to start welcoming the first residents into their new, quality homes. With the Ancoats Green and the city centre on the doorstep, this is surely one of the most attractive developments on offer right now. And importantly, 30% of these homes are genuinely affordable and capped at the Manchester Living Rent meaning as many people as possible in the city can access them.”
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