Proposals to reinvigorate parts of Collyhurst are to be debated three years after the withdrawal of Government support for a PFI scheme proposal.
An investment programme totalling just under £22m from the Government’s Decent Homes Backlog Fund is currently being used to bring 928 homes across the area up to the decent homes standard, and to demolish 13 residential maisonette blocks.
The area, a key strategic priority for regeneration in Manchester, will now see the completion of that programme, as part of the Decent Homes Programme in partnership with Northwards Housing, constructing new roads to open up the area, carrying out environmental improvements and bringing forward plans for new residential development.
The new residential development will be predominantly on sites along Rochdale Road together with a vacant site located between Osbourne Street and St Patrick’s and Abbott Primary schools.
Three new roads are proposed to improve access into and around the Collyhurst Village estate together with the accompanying demolition of six properties and there will be a new community hub in a central and prominent location on Rochdale Road.
There are also proposals to build a number of new homes on existing vacant sites within the Smedley Dip and Irk Valley estates and there will be future remodelling of parts of the neighbourhood where the current layout is poor.
The estate’s current poor layout means many residents are closed off from surrounding areas and three new roads will be constructed to improve accessibility and connectivity in the neighbourhood.
Responses from the public consultation requested the protection of public space and the existing park in Collyhurst village has been identified as one of the priority schemes for investment from a £1m lottery fund through the Big Local initiative.
Cllr Jeff Smith, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “These are major plans that represent an incredibly exciting opportunity to breathe new life in to an area that has remained underdeveloped over the years after the scrapped PFI scheme. High quality new homes are essential for the city’s growth and Collyhurst is well placed on the city centre fringe to become the next neighbourhood of choice.
“Manchester has already had success with other major inner city regeneration projects, with areas like Hulme showing that sustained development can reverse decline and create a thriving community.”
