On 19th September 2016 mixed-use property regeneration specialist U+I announced they had won the £850 Million Mayfield Regeneration Project in Manchester.
U+I was picked as the development partner from a shortlist which also included Urban & Civic and a consortium formed by the now defunct Carillion, Ask and Patrizia. U+I won their successful bid which encapsulated the vision for the site to become a gateway into Manchester city centre and an approach that engages residents, local businesses and visitors.
Matthew Weiner, U+I Chief Executive, said: “This project underlines our commitment to Manchester and our focus on targeting large scale regeneration opportunities… It adds significantly to our portfolio across the UK”.
The Mayfield Partnership is a public sector consortium that includes Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and LCR (London and Continental Railways). A couple of months ago, a draft strategic regeneration framework for the proposed Mayfield site was published.
Mayfield is a 30-acre site next to Manchester Piccadilly station, once home to Mayfield railway station, that has been derelict for more than a decade. The regeneration will breathe new life into what was once a thriving city district. The partnership’s masterplan is for Mayfield to become a distinctive new urban quarter keeping social and economic integration, connectivity and sense of belonging a priority.
The iconic vision will create a mixed-use community delivering 1,500 homes, 807,000 sq. ft. of offices, two hotels comprising 650 beds, 330,000 sq ft of retail and leisure facilities and a city park over the next decade. In turn, this will create 7,500 jobs and will leave a lasting legacy for the city and the wider UK.
The masterplan proposes a significant increase in both the residential and offices suggested in the initial Studio Egret West 2014 indicative masterplan. The homes will comprise a mix of sizes and tenure to “create a diverse and inclusive neighbourhood, in a new and vibrant district close to the heart of the city centre, with considerable green space and local community amenities”.
The scheme proposes two landmark buildings located at the two key gateways to the site, above the old ticket hall and at the east end of the park, to mark the arrival to the Mayfield area. These taller buildings will act as guiding landmarks and will be visible both to pedestrians within the city and for spectators looking back at the city from afar.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The regeneration of this key gateway site, along with the proposed Network Rail Northern hub scheme and the HS2 station will ensure a lasting legacy for Manchester and over time contribute towards fulfilling the Northern Powerhouse growth agenda.”
The partners have suggested 5 neighbourhoods in the indicative masterplan:
The Mayfield Depot: The depot is located in close proximity to Piccadilly Station and arcs as an ideal location for a retail, leisure, culture and business. It takes advantage of the depot’s expansive interior and its location right on the doorstep of the park. There is a potential to subdivide the depot into smaller units at ground and mezzanine level, or to retain the large open spaces for flexible use, such as exhibitions, food markets or events. The buildings above the depot have robust and generic floorplates that provide flexible grade A office spaces.
Baring Street Campus: Four low to medium rise buildings provide large, generic and flexible commercial floorspace along with some residential accommodation.
Hoyle Street East: This is a residential led mixed use area that also provides complementary nonresidential uses at park and street level. Hoyle Street East continues the sweep of active uses located along Fairfield Street and Temperance Street that together serve to activate the streets and provide points of interest around the park. Above the podium is a high rise cluster of apartment buildings, providing a significant proportion of the proposed residential development on the site.
Hoyle Street West: South of the park, in a quieter part of the site, lies this low to medium rise family orientated neighbourhood with apartments and family houses or stacked duplexes. Commercial space is distributed across the smaller units along the Mancunian Way frontage.
Wyre Street: A collection of new buildings will help consolidate the currently fractured urban grain west of Baring Street. The existing Baring Street brick building opposite the Gatehouse will be replaced with a new hotel of a similar footprint but at an increased height to the existing building. A generous and generic building floorplate is located on the current MacDonald surface car park, providing a range of retail and leisure uses at ground, and office uses at upper levels. A small and welcoming pavilion sits at the Wyre Street entrance on Fairfield Street, providing leisure and/or retail uses within an enhanced landscape setting. The Wyre Street area will be directly accessible from Piccadilly Station via the new southern entrance.
The plans focus on high quality place-making, building on Manchester’s past whilst embracing its culture and heritage. Some of Mayfield’s iconic buildings will remain and the railway heritage of the derelict station will be preserved.
James Heather, development director at U+I highlights how using history is essential to a regeneration like this, “The more you scratch away at the site’s history, the more enthralling it becomes. Our vision is to use history to shape its future into a bustling and vibrant area which plays a major part in enhancing Manchester. It is going to be an exciting journey.
U + I has an established presence in Manchester having already been involved in Manchester Arena and the Axis Tower. Already, Mayfield is developing itself as a sense of place, inspiring curiosity and encouraging visitors.
RW Invest provides a selection of residential and student buy to let properties. The Mayfair regeneration zone is less than a ten minute journey to one of RW Invest’s premium Manchester properties, Caxton Hall. In a time like this be sure to take advantage of this burgeoning district and all that it offers.