Manchester City Council has announced plans to develop a disused retail park in Ancoats into a sustainable mixed commercial and residential property development.
After the Central Retail Park in Ancoats closed, the site was bought by Manchester City Council in 2017 for £37m. The council plans to turn the disused site into Manchester’s first zero-carbon business district.
The council is committed to drastically reducing carbon emissions in the city. In February, it published the Neighbourhoods and Environmental Scrutiny report that included an ambitious Climate Change Action Plan. The aim is to make Manchester a zero-carbon location by 2038. Central Park development is a part of the City Council’s commitment to tackling climate change.
Around one million square feet of office space will be constructed, which will generate about 10,000 jobs. A 30-storey skyscraper building adjacent to Old Mill Street will be built.
The development plans include sustainable affordable housing, green spaces, and improvements to the Cotton Field Park north of the site. The aim is to make the area a place in which people will want to work and live.
Central Park is part of the wider regeneration plans for the Ancoats district. New bars, restaurants and coffee places have opened in the area, helping to make Ancoats especially popular with young professionals
There is a high demand for purpose-built green office space in Manchester. The Central Park area is one of the top sites investors are looking at for investment opportunities.
