Housing plan for surplus MMU campus

MANCHESTER City Council has drawn up draft plans to turn Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) 17-acre Didsbury campus into a residential area.

MMU is consolidating its operations from seven campuses to two – around Oxford Road and at the new Birley Fields site in Hulme.

DTZ has been appointed to handle the disposal of the surplus sites which include Didsbury, the Aytoun St campus in Manchester city centre, the Elizabeth Gaskell site in Victoria Park and the Hollings site in Fallowfield, as well as much of the University’s site at Alsager in Cheshire.

The council says the Didsbury site has the potential for executive homes, a new primary school. The campus has one Grade II* listed property and a number of Grade II listed buildings, as well as playing fields which are protected from development by restrictive covenants.

Cllr Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester’s success means we desperately need thousands of new homes of every type and size and we are working with a variety of partners to development suitable sites across the city.

“These exciting plans represent the next phase of a long-standing relationship between the city council and Manchester Metropolitan University – plans which we hope Didsbury, the University and the city has a whole can all benefit from – making a lasting contribution to our growth ambitions and leaving a lasting positive legacy.”