Decision on Manchester’s new ‘woodland town’ due next week

The mixed use regeneration scheme in the area between the Etihad stadium and Ancoats is being packaged as a “woodland town”.
Holt Town will include 4500 new homes of different types and tenures – from family housing through to age friendly and key worker apartments – which Manchester City Council said has received “positive feedback from comprehensive public consultation last year.”
The Council’s executive will now be asked to approve the plans at a committee meeting next week (Wednesday 22 January 2025), following “positive feedback from comprehensive public consultation last year.”
The regeneration programme is being led by architects Studio Egret West with a team consisting of Deloitte, MVRDV NEXT, Turley, AKT II, Hilson Moran, Deetu, and Hatch.
As well as housing the scheme will also feature 30,000 square feet of commercial space, including ground floor uses, live/workspace and smaller office floor space; 15 acres of green space including enhancements to the river and canal settings, including a new river park – known as a “confluence park”; and a “Mobility Mill” with centralised parking for the neighbourhood, wrapped with affordable workspace and ground floor neighbourhood services.
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Holt Town has huge potential and this is feeding our ambition to create a brand new woodland town – the first of its kind in Manchester.
“We have an opportunity to deliver a transformative programme of investment and we expect this area to be Manchester’s next urban regeneration exemplar, creating a neighbourhood that meets the needs of our city and our people – with at least 4,500 new homes, including significant affordable housing options.
Bev Craig (Credit LabourList)
“This neighbourhood will represent a people first focus around active travel, green spaces, new play spaces for young people – and a digital first approach that will better connect the community with local services.
“Following consultation, we are beginning to move to the early delivery phase for Holt Town – a new town within the city of Manchester – that will finally bridge the gap between the city centre, Sportcity and the Etihad Campus in east Manchester.”