Project 500 delivers first homes in Manchester

A North West housing project has reached a milestone.

The Guinness Partnership has completed the first 20 homes under Project 500 (P500), a Manchester City Council-led scheme to boost affordable housing across the region. 

Located on Benmore Road in Blackley, the homes mark the beginning of 68 social rent properties Guinness will deliver through the programme. 

Launched in 2022, the wider P500 project is funded through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s brownfield housing programme and supported by Homes England.

Kevin Williams, group director of development and commercial services from The Guinness Partnership, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Manchester City Council, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Homes England and our contractor partner The Casey Group to bring these first P500 homes to fruition.

“The project is a real testament to the power of partnership working and we hope residents will be proud to live within these fantastic homes. 

“We look forward to building many more homes like these across Manchester.”    

Future Guinness sites set to begin this year include developments on White Moss Road, Queens Road, Palgrave Avenue and Canberra Street.

Guinness is one of England’s largest housing associations and is working closely with Manchester City Council and local partners to increase the city’s supply of high-quality, energy-efficient homes.

Councillor Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, added: “We are building more council and social housing in Manchester than we have done in well over a decade, just like these newly completed family homes in North Manchester. 

“We are getting on with delivering our target of at least 10,000 new genuinely affordable council and social homes by 2032. 

“Our Project 500 programme is a great example of the Council using small pieces of land that previously blighted communities, working in partnership with social landlords and transforming them into high quality social housing. 

“It’s great to see the first families move into these much-needed homes for local people.  

“We have set an ambitious target to build the council and social housing Manchester residents need and, through projects like this, we are giving ourselves the best possible opportunity to make that goal a reality.” 

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