Manchester is enjoying an unprecedented boom, earning the City the affectionate nickname of ‘Manc-hattan’ by local businesses and residents. In recent years, there has been a rush of activity, with construction companies taking advantage of the opportunities the City and surrounding areas offer.
The population of Manchester is ballooning, with the 2021 census recording the population within the City as 552,000. Yet this figure is believed to be a conservative number, as Manchester City Council estimates the 2021 population to be higher at 586,100, reaching approximately 2.8 million when you factor in the Greater Manchester Metropolitan Area population.
This exponential growth in recent years means that Manchester’s wider metropolitan area is now similar in size to Birmingham, which is dubbed the UK’s second City after London.
According to the Office for National Statistics, construction output in the North West has been ten times the national average measured in 2018. This makes the Manchester region one of the busiest areas for construction and redevelopment projects in the country.
Reaching for the skies
In recent years, Manchester has seen significant regeneration projects changing the face of the City. A notable project was Deansgate Square, which includes the South Tower, standing tall at 201 metres (659 ft). This construction project was completed in 2020 and, at the time, held the record for being the tallest building in Manchester and the fifth highest in the UK.
Manchester’s skyline looks set to reach even greater heights if plans for a new residential skyscraper submitted by developer Salboy are passed. This new redevelopment project will be another addition to the handful of high-rise towers built in the City over the past decade. At 241m (790ft) high, the Viadux 2 scheme would dwarf the South Tower at Deansgate Square and even be eight metres taller than the Peninsula building in London’s Canary Wharf.
With Manchester council setting itself an ambitious target to build 32,000 new homes by the end of 2025, the only way is up for this progressive council! It has already attracted significant investment in the City, which has seen the development of new neighbourhoods, including U+I’s £1.4bn Mayfield regeneration programme.
A global reputation
According to many popular travel and tourism sites and publications, Manchester is achieving global recognition as a desirable place to visit. The City ranked in the top ten of Time Out’s Best Places to Visit in the UK in 2024, was named 12th in the New York Times 52 Places to Go in 2024, and Spinningfields in Manchester was named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the Best Places to Go in the UK and Ireland in 2024.
Currently ranked at 72 in the World’s Best Cities 2024 list, it is expected that the City will earn even more accolades as further planned developments in Spinningfields take shape for a new food hall and anticipation of upcoming events to be held at the Aviva Studios, a landmark new cultural space for Manchester.
Boosting Manchester’s local economy and community
Recent examples of Manchester’s investment into high-quality regeneration projects to create homes for the local community include Vivere Residence in Cornbrook, a brand new 24-storey development of apartments set to be built on unused wasteland close to the Cornbrook Metrolink stop.
The apartments will reach 78 metres (255 feet tall) with 224 apartments, and five high-end penthouses with two, three, or four-bedrooms and private terraces. Forshaw Land and Property Group is the developer behind the scheme and believes it will be the final piece of the Cornbrook redevelopment jigsaw. The project will also include Forshaws first ‘aparthotel’ under their new Vivere Aparthotel brand.
Vivere Residence & Vivere Aparthotel
Loom Street Development – Forshaw Construction
Castlefield is another desirable residential location, with the Knott Mill regeneration project of eight new town houses poised to be another of Forshaw Constructions future projects. Knott Mills’ cobbled streets, and tranquil atmosphere was Britain’s first Urban Heritage Park, and it is home to the Bridgewater Canal which is the world’s oldest industrial canal.
Other notable developments by Forshaw Construction include Loom Street, a captivating townhouse in the trendy Ancoats area of Manchester. What was once a derelict workshop in a prime location has now been transformed into a luxury family home with a garage and roof terrace.
Forshaw is also spearheading a new project at Crumpsall Road, North Manchester. This involves the construction of 35 brand-new social houses to further transform the city landscape while helping to build and strengthen the local community by directly addressing local social housing needs.
All of this new investment in homes, businesses, and attractions is positively affecting the City’s future economic growth. The impact of Manchester’s urban regeneration projects on the City’s economy, infrastructure, and community is also spilling out into surrounding areas, including Salford, Bolton, Blackburn, and Stockport. These places are becoming hives of activity for redevelopment as city centre land becomes more scarce
Improving infrastructure
One of the biggest challenges facing Manchester construction companies for the future development of Manchester is the region’s infrastructure. It has long been known that connectivity across the Pennines has been an issue for many years. The cancellation of HS2 has been seen as a missed opportunity for the City and has now brought in a period of uncertainty for investors.
However, following the cancellation of HS2 announced by Prime Minister Mr Rishi Sunak on October 4, 2023, the announcement of new regional investment is welcome. TfN will work with the government to understand the implications for northern England regarding the investment proposals announced on October 4 and find the best way forward following the new change of policy.
Despite the loss of the HS2 project, there is still much ongoing investment in schemes that promise to further transform the City and surrounding metropolitan area, continuing the advancements made in the past decade.
The popularity of Manchester as a place to live, work and invest is showing no sign of slowing down, so it looks certain that prominent Manchester construction companies such as Forshaw Construction will be involved in significant development work over the coming years.
For further information on Property Construction in Manchester, contact Forshaw Construction.
