Former Boddingtons brewery site to become 400-home housing scheme on the edge of Manchester
An open-air carpark once home to Manchester’s famous Boddingtons brewery will become a new housing scheme of more than 400 new homes after plans were given the green light by the council yesterday (Thursday 17 March 2022).
Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, will breathe new life into the 1.24-acre brownfield site and build 461 high-quality private and affordable apartments as part of the city’s wider regeneration of Great Ducie Street.
The not-for-profit developer is committed to delivering up to 60% affordable housing at the scheme through a combination of its own subsidy and grant funding. The affordable homes will be for shared ownership sale and for social and affordable rent, with the remaining units sold privately.
Designed by Assael architects, the Boddingtons scheme will provide a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments set across two blocks of 11 and 27 storeys in height.
Latimer consulted with Manchester residents in 2021 to shape plans for a new mixed-tenure development and inclusive community. As well as vital new housing for local people, including upwards of 276 affordable homes, the Boddingtons project will deliver a shared residents’ lounge and workspace, a roof terrace and a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard.
Construction work on the site will create jobs for local people and the finished scheme will deliver 6,000sqft of commercial space, which is expected to host various small retailers.
Richard Cook, Group Director of Development at Clarion Housing Group, said:
“We are thrilled to get the green light to redevelop this iconic site in Manchester. Delivering the Boddingtons scheme will enable us to provide a range of housing options to local people across the city.
“As well as meet a clear housing need, our proposals will create a brand-new residential community, boost the local economy and create a place that will that we believe people will want to call home for the long term.”
Russell Pedley, director and founder at Assael Architecture, said:
“We’re delighted that our design for this scheme has received planning approval so that we can now move immediately to help deliver this mixed-tenure scheme that includes a significant quantum of affordable housing.”
Councillor Gavin White, Manchester Council’s lead member for housing, said:
"We are seeing huge demand for housing in every part of Manchester, and across all tenures. We rely on strong working relationships with our housing partners in the city to help meet this demand, particularly to deliver new affordable housing."
“It's fantastic to see this ambitious scheme move forward to begin delivering homes that Manchester people need, while also helping to diversify the residential offer in the city centre."
The former Boddingtons factory, first established in the mid-1800s, was once Manchester’s biggest brewery producing 100,000 of bitter beer each year. Production ceased at the site in 2005 and gradual demolition concluded with the iconic brick chimney coming down in 2010. Latimer purchased its part of the site a decade later in 2021.
In February this year, Latimer began the search for a contractor to develop the land and build the new homes. The 35-month contract, valued at £75m, is expected to begin in July 2022 with completion earmarked for August 2025.
In 2020/21, Latimer built a record 2,126 homes – 90% of which were affordable – against a backdrop of inflation, material shortage and a global pandemic. The wider Clarion Housing Group owns and manages 125,000 homes across England, housing around 350,000 people. It presently owns 430 homes in Manchester and 280 in Salford.