The east Manchester suburb has been a key focus for regeneration in recent years and now a new report being heard by the Council’s executive committee this week announces tens of millions of pounds further investment in the neighbourhood.

• Preferred bidder Clarion Housing Group could invest over £60m, delivering more than 400 new homes over the next few years – the majority will be affordable social rent homes with the first phase coming forward on the former Library site 
• Extension to the new public square – building on the heart of the community 
• Major £1.1m investment to the existing Gorton Market  

Gorton has welcomed a number of major projects recently, including the Gorton Hub – a one-stop-shop for a wide range of community services – in 2024, before a new £1.4m public square was unveiled earlier this year.  

The projects, alongside a significant pipeline of new social and genuinely affordable homes, have looked to create a destination high street for the community while driving up footfall to support local businesses, including the Gorton Market – which will now see a further £1.1m investment, on top of a new roof project that is currently under construction. 

Delivering for Gorton  

New housing will be key to support the ongoing success of Gorton, helping to attract new residents and support economic growth.  The Council is currently creating a number of investment partnerships to deliver hundreds of new homes, with a focus on affordability across a range of tenures from social rent homes to options for local people to access the housing ladder.  

Clarion Housing, a national provider of affordable homes, are the preferred bidder to build more than 400 new homes across around 17 sites over the next 10 to 15years. These homes will be available for social rent and shared ownership, alongside a small number of market homes for sale and rent that will support the viability of the developments.  

Clarion’s first project will redevelop the former library site on Garrett Way where around 70 high quality homes will be built overlooking the new Gorton town centre square. The project will offer a mix of sizes and tenures, including apartments and family homes, as well as wheelchair accessible properties. A planning application is due to come forward early 2026, starting on site later next year.  

And 35 new affordable independent living homes that will provide housing support for Manchester care leavers aged 18 to 25 will be built on the site of a long-derelict basketball court on Chapman Street near the town centre. The homes will be available to young people in work or training and supported by Centrepoint offering wrap around pastoral care and education advice. A planning application for this scheme will be submitted later this year with a view to being onsite in autumn 2026. 

Following the completion of the new town square earlier this year, the investment plan looks to extend the square using a £300k grant through the Governments Local Growth and Place fund that will introduce more child friendly play features. This will include play equipment and playground games, such as snakes and ladders – alongside more planting and seating – that will encourage local people to spend time in the town centre. Works are due to start later this year and open to the public in the spring of 2026. 

As an important resource for the local community, the Gorton Market hall is lined up for a £1.1m improvement programme, again funded through the Government’s Local Growth and Place grant.  

The investment will open up an entire side of the existing market, creating a link between the building and the extended town square and the welcoming terraced seating area. This will be complemented by a new food and drink offer and a beauty zone, with longer opening hours that will accommodate later evenings and both indoor and outdoor events.  

The Council is currently working closely with the traders to relocate all of them within the existing market building while this work is undertaken with a view to opening fully by summer 2026, providing a much-improved base for the traders to thrive into the future.  

Read the Executive Committee report in full

Leader of the Council Bev Craig said: 

“Our high streets and districts centres are at the very heart of our communities. They are where we shop, meet friends, visit the doctors and spend time. We know how important these places are to our residents, and we are investing in our local neighbourhooods across the city.  

“Gorton has been one of our focus areas for investment for some time, beginning with the Hub and public square, and we have already started work to the market hall roof – and this plan sets out not just the next phases of these projects but a home building plan for the next decade and more – with most capped at social rent, along with opportunities for our residents to get on the property ladder.  

“This neighbourhood is a place full of potential, and we are already seeing the fruits of this potential come to life. Now it’s about a long-term investment plan that will see Gorton go from strength to strength.” 

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