First look at plans for riverside park project
THESE are the first images of plans for a new 113-acre ‘river park’ and waterfront apartments on the edge of Manchester city centre.
It is the latest stage in the Victoria North project - a £4billion regeneration partnership between developer
Far East Consortium (FEC) and Manchester Council.
The aim is for up to 15,000 homes, new transport links and infrastructure to be built over the next 15 to 20 years in a huge area running north from Victoria station to Queen’s Park in Harpurhey.
Plans have recently been submitted for new housing in Collyhurst including 130 council homes at two sites.
And the next focus will be Red Bank, an area that may be unfamiliar to many in the city.
The road of the same name starts underneath the viaduct that brings trains and trams into Victoria station, and runs past the Green Quarter development towards Cheetham Hill.
The area is also known for a number of surface car parks and pop-up businesses in the railway arches, including the street food fair GRUB.
It is largely made up of car parks and disused industrial land that will make way for a series of skyscrapers to be known as ‘Victoria Riverside.’
The tallest will be Crown View, a 37-storey building on the corner of Gould Street and Dantzic Street, with two sister towers, Park View (26 storeys) and City View (18 storeys) nearby.
A series of townhouses and maisonettes are also in the plans.
The development, which will see the creation of 634 homes in total, has received £51.6million in funding via the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF).
This will also help facilitate the City River Park, set to become one of the largest green spaces in the city centre.
The area is currently occupied by
St Catherine’s Wood. Technically still a public park, St Catherine’s is a neglected site plagued by nettles, rubbish and burnt out cars which has been part of regeneration plans for decades.
In 2018, the M.E.N reported how there is still a plaque referencing the ‘Irk Valley Millenium Project.’
Nearly £2m of government and lottery funding was provided during the late 1990s towards a network of parks that was to stretch from St Catherine’s to Sandhills in Collyhurst, before splitting off in two directions, one to Queen’s Park and Harpurhey and the other towards Moston Vale and Broadhurst Clough.
It never happened.
But now Manchester Council with the backing of FEC - is confident this urban oasis will be brought back to life.
Hilary BrettParr, project director at FEC, said: “Victoria Riverside will be a new landmark in the Manchester skyline, set amongst the greenery of the future City River Park but just a stone’s throw from the heart of the city centre.
“We’re supporting the development of a new residential community within the emerging Red Bank neighbourhood and have placed a lot of focus on this within the design - incorporating green space, investing in communal areas and adding space for independent retail and hospitality businesses. “The development will be unlike anywhere else in Manchester, so it’s exciting to be a part of as we begin to deliver against the Victoria North strategic masterplan.”
The scheme is set for completion by the end of 2024.