This article was produced by the Manchester City Council press office.
MANCHESTER City Council is developing its own design and quality standard for new housing and they want to know what Manchester Confidential readers think.
Our ambition is to deliver a minimum of 25,000 homes in the next ten years
The quality guidance will demand design excellence in all new housing built in the city, set minimum space standards, and ensure high environmental standards – but this is your chance to let the City Council know what good housing means to you and help shape how Manchester will look in the future.
How big should a new house be? How much outdoor space? How dense should apartments be? What design features have you seen that work well, or didn’t work well?
The consultation page is here.
A Sounding Board of experts, a multi-discipline team of architects and housing professionals – chaired by once president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Stephen Hodder - was brought together to develop the draft standards guide, providing expertise in planning, urban design, place making and architecture.
Architect Stephen Hodder of Hodder and Partners, Chair of the Manchester Residential Quality Guidance Sounding Board, said:
"I’m intensely aware of the importance of the role we have been given. We’re not just talking about the look and feel of new residential development, but a wholesale city-wide approach to how people live, how they interact with the homes they live in and how those homes impact on the carbon reduction ambitions of the city. It’s an exciting prospect, but one that needs to be taken incredibly seriously.”
Ancoats: HoUSe by Urban Splash allows buyers to choose the configuration of their new home before it's assembled on-site
The full draft document is available here and looks at nine components, in no particular order:
Make it Manchester – developers must understand the city’s unique character, heritage old and new, density and scale in various parts of the city and appreciate how new homes will fit in to what’s already there.
Make it bring people together – new homes must encourage a sense of community and neighbourliness, offering a mix of tenures to promote a mix of people.
Make it animate streets and spaces – understand the relationship between new homes and its environment and create public space.
Make it easy to get around – make sure developments have good transport links, along with good walking and cycling provision.
Make work with the landscape – development should improve the connection with the local environment with improved biodiversity, as well as greening and water schemes.
Make it practical – dealing with waste, car parking, bike storage and visitors should be made as easy as possible.
Make it future proof – design must anticipate the impacts of climate change and extreme weather with efficient design and adaptability.
Make it a home – sufficient space, natural light, privacy and storage are essential for people to settle down and flourish.
Make it happen – ensuring proposals are delivered, to a high quality, with high design standards and high sustainability.
Let the city council know what you think here.
Cllr Bernard Priest, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Our ambition is to deliver a minimum of 25,000 homes in the next ten years, and to ensure the longevity of this prodigious home building plan, we need to make sure of the excellence of every property built.
“High quality housing is essential to create attractive neighbourhoods and build communities where people will choose to live and start a family. Setting out an absolute minimum, high standard for new homes can help us achieve that.”
Powered by Wakelet
