Manchester City Council and the Government Property Agency (GPA) have opened a joint consultation around emerging plans for the former retail site. Open from Tuesday 27 August the consultation will gather feedback from local residents, businesses and other stakeholders that will help guide proposals to create a new government digital campus – delivered by the GPA – and a new city centre park space, delivered by the council. The council agreed an updated Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the land in March 2023 that set out the high-level development principles for the site: to create low carbon commercial office space and high-quality, accessible green space to support continued economic growth in this part of Manchester’s city centre. New Manchester Digital Campus The Government Property Agency (GPA) exchanged contracts to acquire five acres of the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats from the city council in May this year with a view to constructing a state-of-the-art government digital campus. This new office complex in the city will bring together a number of Civil Service departments with a focus around digital skills. Once complete, the campus will be home to around 7,000 civil servants, creating significant opportunities for employment and wider economic development. New City Centre Park The new park space is being designed in collaboration with landscape architects Planit-IE and will help meet the need for quality, attractive green space in the city centre – which will also open up access to the existing Cotton Field Park and Ancoats Marina. The site will accommodate new walking routes, helping to link to other city centre active travel investment in Ancoats, Northern Quarter and out towards the Etihad Campus. Detailed design work will continue following consultation to deliver a park space comparable in size to Ancoats Green, which is also currently undergoing redevelopment works. To note – Development across the rest of the site will be brought forward as a later development phase. More information will be made available in due course. Take part in the public consultation – Tuesday, September 10 Local people and businesses can provide feedback online or at two in-person public consultation events at Halle St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, M4 6BF. Find out more about the proposals and feedback online: www.fcrp-manchester.co.uk Session One: 12pm to 2.30pm Session Two: 5pm to 7pm Anyone with accessibility needs – or no access to the internet – can call 0808 175 3408 The consultation will end on September 23, 2024, following which the proposals will be finalised and separate planning applications submitted later this year. Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We are beginning to see the potential of this site unlocked and the plans being developed by the council and the GPA meet the ambitions we have for this important site – including a new city centre park and digital campus that will be home to 7,000 civil servant jobs. “The new park will help meet demand for high-quality green space in the city centre and will complement other green investment – including Ancoats Green – in this neighbourhood. “As ever, consultation is the opportunity for our residents to give us feedback on the emerging proposals and help guide this investment that will benefit Mancunians for years to come.” Mark Bourgeois, Interim CEO at the GPA, said: “We are pleased to be working collaboratively with Manchester City Council on these plans to regenerate this important area of Manchester and we look forward to the input from city residents and businesses to help us deliver the optimum proposal. “The GPA is also proud to be creating fantastic and sustainable workplaces to support the transformation of the Civil Service, and we are committed to growing its presence in Manchester, drawing on and helping to grow the city’s pool of talent. “This proposed development, builds on the work the Council and the GPA undertook last year in putting in place an updated Strategic Regeneration Framework, and the shared ambition to regenerate the Ancoats former retail site, creating employment and wider business opportunities, supported by the digital campus.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

North of England contractor to facilitate future housing development for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Esh Construction has commenced public realm improvement works which will support further riverside development in Rotherham town centre. Procured through YORhub’s YORcivil2 framework on behalf of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, the North of England contractor will deliver upgrades on land just off Westgate, while highway upgrades will be actioned on Water Lane. A new carriageway will be constructed at Water Lane to improve existing vehicular access and provide a link to a new riverside footpath which will reconnect Water Lane to Rotherham town centre. Cut and fill operations, deep drainage works, Japanese knotweed remediation, pavement construction and new fencing is required, while gabion baskets will be used to create a retaining wall feature along the new pathway. Michael Sherrard, Construction Manager at Esh Construction, said: “We look forward to bringing our expertise to this project which will play an important role in improving and facilitating the connectivity of Rotherham Riverside for the future development of the town. “Esh has vast experience in delivering public realm projects and we are thrilled to continue our working relationship with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.” Esh’s civil engineering division will also carry out repairs and remedial works to the existing river walls, with 180m long sheet piles up to 18m in depth being installed to strengthen the river wall. A capping beam will also be added on top to secure the wall structurally and support a guard rail, while cosmetic repairs will be carried out to the existing masonry river wall by rope access trained personnel. The project builds on the success of Esh’s recently completed active travel schemes for Rotherham Council, which include Wellgate and Broom Road, as well as Sheffield Road Cycleways and Maltby Bus Corridor.   Having acquired the land in December 2022 the project forms part of the Council’s continued investment into the town centre, bringing new homes, leisure uses and improved public realm. Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy, Cllr Robert Taylor said: “The access road and creation of a new walkway into the town centre will really complement the new housing developments and leisure scheme at Forge Island. The route will support us to continue to breathe new life into this side of the town by helping facilitate new housing developments in the future.” To find out more about Esh Group, visit www.eshgroup.co.uk  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The Council has begun gathering feedback around the transformational proposals being developed for Holt Town, east Manchester as consultation opens today.   Holt Town presents an opportunity to create a new town within the city, developing 74acres (30ha) of underused, brownfield land that has the potential to deliver thousands of new homes – including significant affordable housing – alongside an exciting new cultural offer, new high quality green and play space, and new commercial space.   Bound by the city centre one side and Sport City and the Etihad Campus the other, major investment in this area will finally create a link between these two key economic drivers for Manchester and continue the long-term regeneration of Ancoats and New Islington into east Manchester.   Holt Town transformation in numbers:  The Council is also exploring how digital technologies can be embedded into the fabric of urban regeneration projects to modernise the way residents can access public services – from traffic management, waste collection and neighbourhood management to health and social care.    The Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) has been produced by a multi-disciplinary team led by Studio Egret West that will help guide investment in the Holt Town area over the next decade.   Consultation details:  The consultation will be open for six weeks from 19 August to 29 September 2024.  Respondents can provide feedback via www.holttownwoodtown.com  Local people can also attend two in-person drop-in events at Church of the Apostles & St Cuthbert’s, Ridgeway Street, Miles Platting, Manchester M40 7FY.  Cllr Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said:   “We have big ambitions for Holt Town and it’s not an exaggeration when we say we are creating a new town in our city, transforming an underused part of our city centre to create a new community, thousands of new homes, new commercial space and new jobs – all within a sustainable, green and safe neighbourhood.   “As ever, we need the insight from local people to feed into our long-term vision. Feedback from local people is really important as it helps guide our investment in neighbourhoods, with perspective from the people who know the area well.   “It’s easy to take part online – or drop-in to one of our in-person events. We look forward to seeing you.”  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Work is well underway on the £36 million redevelopment of Rotherham Markets as Henry Boot Construction begins fabrication works in the outdoor market and underground carpark. Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy, Cllr Robert Taylor, joined Henry Boot Construction’s Managing Director, Tony Shaw, and Head of Operations, Ian Gresser, on the site to have a look at how the Rotherham Council delivered project is progressing. Currently, the former outdoor market space flooring has been stripped while downstairs, works have begun to strengthen the foundations of the outdoor market space. Preparation work for demolition has also begun on the former Drummond Street shops – also known as the Guardian Centre buildings. These are set to be demolished in autumn 2024 to make way for a brand-new library building. Following the demolition of the Drummond Street shops, the outdoor market canopy will be removed in stages. Covering over 3,500sqm of the market, removing the structure will be a very complex operation. A crane will be moved on site during the removal. The Indoor Market remains open throughout the redevelopment, with a range of stalls and products available from local traders. Outdoor markets, such as the Tuesday Market, have been relocated to Effingham Street while the project is under way. Henry Boot Construction, the contractor for the Rotherham Market redevelopment, was onsite when ground was broken in October 2023. Since then, they have been working with teams at Rotherham Council to progress the project. Henry Boot Construction’s Managing Director, Tony Shaw, said: “We are pleased to see the Rotherham Markets project progressing. We’re looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Council and breathing new life into this area of the town centre.”  “Creating high-quality, vibrant urban spaces is part of our DNA. Having led on several of the region’s major regeneration over recent years, we have witnessed first-hand the transformative impact investments like this one can have – helping to boost community pride and identity, increase footfall and grow the local economy. “We pride ourselves on leaving a positive legacy in the places where we work. To do this we have committed to deliver significant social value outputs by utilising a local supply chain wherever possible, local site-specific employment, and delivering multiple training and educational initiatives.” Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs and Local Economy, Cllr Robert Taylor, added: “The Markets redevelopment is part of the Town Centre Masterplan, and to see people on site and spades in the ground shows that the plan is becoming a reality. The redevelopment of the markets is a complex project which will not only breathe new life into our community, but also provide economic opportunities for our local businesses. Working with Henry Boot Construction, the markets redevelopment will provide an accessible, enjoyable space for all which celebrates our diverse community and heritage. “Rotherham Market continues to remain open for the public with the fantastic range of outdoor markets now taking place in the town centre, so I encourage residents to continue to support our local traders until they are in their new facilities.” Once works are complete, visitors will benefit from a refurbished indoor and outdoor covered market, extensive public realm, a new modern and accessible central library and improved links to the town centre and college. Rotherham Council received funding from the government’s Future High Street Fund to pay for part of the improvements at the market with additional funding secured from the Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Keep up-to-date with the markets redevelopment project at www.rotherhamtowncentre.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals