Planning application submitted for first phase of £1.4bn development

View of proposed Mayfield Park from Gatehouse

The £1.4bn transformation of Mayfield into a vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhood in the heart of Manchester city centre has taken a significant step forward with the submission of a planning application for the first phase of development at the site.

The application, submitted by the Mayfield Partnership to Manchester City Council, includes the creation of Mayfield Park – the city centre’s first new park in more than 100 years.

The 6.5-acre public space will be created on the banks of the River Medlock, which runs through the heart of the 30-acre regeneration scheme.

The first phase of development also includes a high-quality, nine-storey, 70,000 sq ft office building overlooking the new park, and a 545-space multi-storey car park on the Baring Street site.

A separate application for a larger flagship 12-storey office building is expected to be made this Autumn.

Widely regarded as one of the most important regeneration projects in the UK, Mayfield is rich in industrial heritage and benefits from incredible scale and brilliant connectivity.

The majority of the site, which includes the landmark Mayfield station building and depot on Fairfield Street next to Piccadilly Station, has been under-utilised for 30 years.

The Mayfield Partnership, which comprises regeneration developer U+I, LCR, Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester, has a vision to create a £1.4bn mixed-use community over the next 10 to 15 years that will transform a long-forgotten part of the city.

It includes the 6.5-acre park, world-class office space, homes and leisure facilities, alongside further extensive public spaces.

The regeneration of Mayfield will create 1,500 homes, 75,000 sq m of office space, a 650-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure space.

It is envisaged that the project will create more than 7,500 office, retail, leisure and construction jobs.

Since the formation of the partnership in 2016, significant progress has been made to build awareness of Mayfield among multiple audiences.

In September, Depot Mayfield opened in the site’s old railway depot. The partnership with Broadwick Live began with a gig by Aphex Twin on Friday and a club night on Saturday curated by the Warehouse Project.

Around 5,000 people visited over the weekend for the start of a programme that will run for the next five years.

Depot Mayfield is the latest in a series of activities designed to put Mayfield at the heart of Manchester’s cultural life, which has included hosting a weekly GRUB street food fair, a festive pop-up cinema and Dirt Factory – an indoor biking centre.

Richard Upton, chief development officer at U+I, said: “The last three years of consultation, planning and opening up Mayfield to a variety of community uses and major events has re-introduced Mancunians to a forgotten corner of the city with huge social and economic potential.

“Submitting our first formal planning application is an important moment in realising that potential and we are excited that our vision for a world-class neighbourhood for businesses, residents and visitors is taking shape.”

He added: “We have been delighted by the overwhelming positive response to our recent public consultation on Mayfield Park and look forward to starting work on this amazing new amenity for the people of Manchester.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “These plans have the potential to transform an unloved and largely unused part of the city centre into a world-class gateway area creating thousands of new jobs and housing to support our growing city.

“The addition of a significant new city centre park, just a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly Station, is a particularly welcome development and shows how such green spaces can be created through the masterplanning of wider areas.”

View of proposed Mayfield Park from Hoyle Street

Adrian Lee, development director at LCR, said: “Mayfield is fast becoming one of the city’s most prominent cultural venues, attracting an array of enterprising and creative individuals and businesses.

“This application is enabling the creation of a distinctive new urban neighbourhood, with imaginative placemaking at its core – bringing together public and private partners to ensure that the area will continue to be vibrant, as well as economically resilient, for years to come.”

Mike Mellor, head of commercial services for TfGM said: “Transport is at the heart of Mayfield, through its heritage and now into its future.

“This planning application will deliver the first phase of a scheme that will create new homes and jobs close to tram, train and bus services, and we’re excited that transport is fundamental to this new city-centre neighbourhood.”

Studio Egret West is the overall masterplanner for Mayfield, landscape architect for Mayfield Park and has designed the application for the first phase multi-storey car park. Bennetts Associates is designing the office building. Deloitte Real Estate is the planning consultant.

Subject to consent, work will commence early in 2020.

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