A partnership of Greater Manchester Youth Federation and Kellen Homes alongside Great Places Housing Group, Sigma Capital Group and Centrepoint have signed a deal to secure the land for a new development of 303 homes and a major youth, community and sporting hub in Gorton.
The agreement gives the green light to deliver a significant investment in Manchester with the development of Mellands Park on land at Mount Road in Gorton.
The scheme will bring forward 303 new homes: 36 of which will be independent living apartments for 16-to-25-year-olds leaving care, managed by Centrepoint, a charity dedicated to ending youth homelessness; and a further 60 will be affordable homes made available through Great Places Housing Group for shared ownership and social rent. The remaining 207 will be for private rent by Sigma Capital Group under their Simple Life brand.
Greater Manchester Youth Federation will be building two brand-new, full-size grass football pitches, a combined netball and basketball court and a new youth and community hub. These new facilities will remain owned and managed by Greater Manchester Youth Federation. The sports facilities will be used predominantly by local grass roots football clubs for young people and GMYF affiliated clubs.
The scheme has been granted full planning permission by Manchester City Council.
Karen Wilson, Chief Executive of GMYF, said she was delighted to see this important new scheme take a significant step forward. She commented: “We are proud to have driven forwards this regeneration of Mellands playing fields working with our partners. We can now deliver facilities fit for the 21st Century. We know how much the local community wants and needs these vital facilities and this represents a huge leap forward in our drive to create a vibrant and inclusive space encouraging sport and engagement for young people in Gorton and surrounding areas”.
Chief Executive of Kellen Homes, Ian Kelley, said “Partnerships play a key role at Kellen Homes allowing us to deliver quality homes for local people and I am delighted to see this incredibly significant scheme for the people of Manchester now progress. We will be building a neighbourhood with homes for people who really need them with superb sporting and community facilities for the wider area.”
Nick Gornall, Director of Development at Great Places, added: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Kellen Homes again and to be involved in this transformative project in Gorton. Mellands Park not only addresses the pressing need for affordable housing in the area but will also look to enrich the community with vital sports and recreational facilities.
“We’re committed to creating sustainable and inclusive neighbourhoods, and this initiative perfectly aligns with our values to support and uplift local communities. We look forward to starting work on the project and seeing the positive impact this development will have on the lives of existing and new residents.”
Lee Catterall, Development Director at Sigma commented: “We’re really excited to be part of this new neighbourhood which will bring real positive change to the wider community. We’re looking forward to offering renters of Gorton a high quality, professional approach to renting, bettering their housing options locally and considerably contributing to the housing market demands.”
Sally Orlopp, Director of People, Property and Independent Living at Centrepoint, said: “These apartments will form part of our Independent Living Programme designed to tackle the shortage of quality, genuinely affordable accommodation. It will mean that young people who might be at risk of homelessness, are instead able to have the key to their very own front door.”
