Council to spend £2.2m improving access to First Street

MANCHESTER City Council will today ask its executive to approve a decision to increase its capital budget so that it can spend £2.2m acquiring a site next to Ask Developments’ First Street.

The land, which is next to Taylor Wimpey’s Macintosh Mills apartment complex, has been derelict for some time but is being bought by the council to improve links to First Street – most notably the southern end of the site where a tall building is planned which is set to contain a budget hotel, student accommodation, car parking and some retail units.

Minutes prepared for today’s council executive meeting state that buying the land “will have an impact on the overall success of the area by opening up key pedestrian linkages and making it easier to deliver the agreed vision for First Street”.

The council already has £1.8m in its capital budget but is seeking a £350,000 increase from councillors in order to complete the sale. It said that it hopes that some of the extra money sought will be offset from savings anticipated from another land deal next to the Manchester Central complex.

A council spokesman told TheBusinessDesk.com: “We don’t have any specific plans for it at this stage.

“It is a strategic acquisition to make sure that the area develops in line with proposals.”