Giggs and Neville’s ‘civic quarter’ plan moves forward
PUBLIC consultation over plans for a £200m civic quarter in Manchester will go into full swing following approval by Manchester City Council’s executive committee.
The scheme has been proposed by Jackson’s Row Development Partnership (JRDC) , part owned by ex-Manchester United stars Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, who have secured funding from Far East investors, Rowsley and Beijing Construction & Engineering Group.
Also involving property investor and Burnley FC co-owner Brendan Flood, the plan is to build on the site of the former Bootle Street Police Station as part of a development known as St Michael’s.
It is bounded to the north by Jackson’s Row and to the south by Bootle Street and Southmill Street and incorporates the former police headquarters, Manchester Reform Synagogue, the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub – where victims of the Peterloo Massacre were taken in 1819 – and car parking.
The local authority acquired the site for £2m in March and as agreed a Conditional Agreement for Lease with JRDC.
The committee yesterday agreed that the City Council’s chief executive should undertake a public consultation exercise on the draft Manchester Central Strategic Regeneration Framework with local residents, businesses and other stakeholders and report back to future meetings.
A report to the committee said: “There is now a major opportunity to re-develop the area surrounding the former Police Station, centring on Bootle Street and Jackson’s Row, to enable the area to play its full role in the ongoing success of the city centre.”
Proposals include a high density development, with a wide range of uses is proposed for the site including a major five star international hotel, in the heart of the city.
There is also the inclusion of high specification residential apartments sized to permit true city centre living, with the inclusion of apartments suitable for future families.
Grade A office space is also part of the development, to meet growing demand and creating the truly mixed used development.
Retail leisure and bar/restaurant accommodation will front on to the perimeter streets and animate the proposed public squares.
The future development is to include a new purpose built facility for the Synagogue.
