The transformation of New Islington Manchester
Some amazing things are happening in New Islington, probably Manchester’s most exciting redevelopment project.
New Islington is part of the Ancoats district of Manchester, to the east of the city centre, and was once home to 100,000 people. By the 90’s that figure had shrunk to around 17,000, mainly due to the collapse of nearby industries.
A plan was drawn up to completely transform the area, and so New Islington was born, actually it’s the old name of the district, now revived.
This was to be no ordinary development, and the mistakes of the past were to be avoided. At meetings in the Cob of Coal pub, council tenants were given the opportunity to develop the plans and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to certain suggestions.
They said no to the idea of living side by side with owners of upmarket properties. They said yes to the outlandish house designs of a a group of young architects from London. That company is FAT, standing for Fashion Architecture Taste, who designed 23 houses in what I would like to describe as the WDM or ‘Wacky Dutch Mancunian’ style.
There is actually a Dutch connection to the plans. Canals are being introduced into the redevelopment area to bring the benefits of Amsterdam-style waterside living to this part of Manchester. Local residents were flown for a day in the Netherlands to see successful housing projects there.
Other architects involved in the New Islington project include Will Alsop, whose company have produced a number of weird and thought-provoking designs, only a few of which are intended to be built. The ‘Chips’ development is one of them.
De Metz Knight Forbes came up with an award winning design for 14 family homes on Piercey Street.
Urban Splash are a key developer in the project and will be building some of their most striking residential buildings to date.
Great Places, part of the Manchester Methodist Housing Association, are taking care of the social housing aspect of New Islington. Many homes will be offered on a shared ownership basis.
The completed district will be a mixture of unusual, eccentric but very well designed and eco-friendly residential buildings, all overlooking the waters of a newly created section of canal which will join up the Ashton and Rochdale canals.
The former Ancoats Hospital building will be be converted for residential use. Some of the surrounding factory buildings, as well as 60’s tower blocks, have been retained and will be refurbished.
All in all, Manchester will have one of the most innovative, design-conscious and environmentally friendly residential districts this side of the North Sea.
Eye On Manchester thinks this type of thing is just what Manchester needs, and congratulates the architects and developers for their vision, enterprise and originality.
If only that vision could be replicated in other aspects of the redevelopment of Manchester, in public transport, for instance.
Click to view New Islington and Ancoats images in the aidan.co.uk photo portfolio.
This information was taken from a talk by Matthew Harrison of Great Places Housing Group, held at Manchester Central Library. The talk is part of a programme of events organised by Manchester Civic Society in association with the Central Library.