Green light for Keepmoat’s £50 million project delivering 400 new homes and jobs in Manchester

Manchester City Council has appointed Keepmoat Homes to deliver 400 new homes for sale as part of the latest phase of its flagship regeneration programme in West Gorton.

The new £50 million scheme, which was part-funded by £30 million from the Homes & Communities Agency, will lead to the creation of 400 flexible ‘lifetime’ homes, which allows owners to adapt their homes as their mobility needs change.

The new plans will also continue the transformation of West Gorton, a suburb which has played a large part in Mancunian history as the place where Manchester City Football Club was founded.

Manchester City Football Club was established at the former St Mark’s Church in West Gorton in 1880.

Manchester City Council is currently half way through delivering a 10 year regeneration masterplan for West Gorton, which has so far seen the demolition of 380 existing homes and the construction of 171 new council houses for affordable rent built by Keepmoat Regeneration.

Although Keepmoat Homes has been active in the North West for ten years building homes for private sale in Merseyside, Oldham, Rochdale and Lancashire this is the first time that Keepmoat Homes has been appointed to build new homes for private sale in Manchester.

As part of the transformation of the neighbourhood Manchester City Council is also revamping a site close to the Fujitsu Complex in West Gorton to create a new £10 million television production base in the area called the Drama Hub.

The facility has the potential to create more than 400 new jobs in the area.

Keepmoat will also deliver a variety of public realm improvements in the area through the reinvestment of the city council’s land values.

The plans are subject to Keepmoat gaining planning permission for the scheme. If planning permission is granted it is anticipated that Keepmoat Homes will commence on site in Autumn 2014, with first the first new homes being occupied early in 2015.

Cllr Jeff Smith, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “West Gorton is almost unrecognisable compared to the neighbourhood it was a decade ago, bringing hundreds of new homes to Manchester and reinvigorating the community with a huge sense of pride and place – and the next phase will build on that success.”

David Chilton, Greater Manchester head of Area for the Homes & Communities Agency, said: “This scheme is a prime example of the valuable support that the HCA provides to developers.

“It will create much-needed new homes for local people, and will also play a major role in the ongoing revitalisation of this area of Manchester.”

Sandy McBride, new build managing director for Keepmoat Homes in the North West, said: “Building high-quality new family homes is absolutely crucial for delivering regeneration in West Gorton.

“We are very excited about being involved in this scheme to bring aspirational and affordable new homes to West Gorton and to be working in partnership with Manchester City Council for the first time on such a strategically important programme for the city.”