After high unemployment and mass dereliction of buildings in city centres throughout the north during the post industrial years, Manchester has transformed its economic climate through residential development, resulting in population and job expansion that has far exceeded that of London since the turn of the century.
The Guardian reports that Manchester has seen the fastest city centre growth in England and Wales in recent years, with predicted economic growth of 2.4% of every year until 2020. Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, states that roughly 10,000 homes need to be built in the city every year for the next three to four years in order to meet this rapid population and job growth.
Policies within the Manchester Core Strategy as part of the Local plan reflect this need for housing and office development. Policy H1 of the Manchester Core Strategy, states that approximately 60,000 new dwellings will be provided for Manchester between March 2009 and March 2027. Whilst Policy EC1 states a minimum of 200 hectares of employment land will be developed between 2010 and 2027 for offices. Paragraphs 66-67 of the NPPF have also introduced an expectation that local authorities provide a housing requirement figure for designated neighbourhood areas.
Planning blueprints have indicated which areas are the hotspots for commercial and residential development. Areas including Circle Square, St John’s and New Cross, one of the next big areas to be redeveloped in the city centre, where the council’s new framework specifically states all contributions should go on improving the surrounding public space.
‘The Centre for Cities’ thinktank has suggested that city centres should be excluded from permitted development rights and planning policy should be lightened in order to help meet demand, including controlled residential development and further infrastructure on green belt land in order to boost housing supply.
If you are a developer in Manchester looking for the right consultants to assist with planning permission for your residential or commercial development, look no further. Fuller Long have worked on a variety of residential and commercial development schemes across the UK with a considerable amount of success. To see how Fuller Long can help you with your development proposal, call 0808 164 1288 or email hello@fullerlong.com to speak with one of our Consultants today.
