THE distinctive old tram, latterly, bus depot on Princess Road has been reduced to rubble revealing a sizeable site for redevelopment.
But everyone is so chuffed with the way this whole area is now looking they are having a bit of a bash soon to celebrate and there’s talk of an ice-rink and a mini fun fair
It seems a crying shame though that the formidable red brick arch and landmark clock tower could not have been saved to leave some character to the regeneration going on around here.
The City Council, which bought the site last year, says a War Memorial Plaque inside the depot is now at Stagecoach’s Wythenshawe depot and that the clock and part of the tower is being stored and will hopefully be incorporated in any new development.
Transport enthusiasts on the UK Trainslm forum however say that the building’s foundation stone is now with Manchester Museum of Transport in Cheetham Hill and the clock was, in fact, beyond saving.
Fusion Site
The site is earmarked for 100 new homes and is part of the wider Bowes Street project which has seen a lot of investment resulting in the good re-use of old terraces and some stark new housing.
The terraces have been redesigned and in some cases knocked together, to provide the bigger three and four bedroom properties this area was lacking.
The transformation shows what can be done with existing stock and great design and use of technology. The back walls are now thermal clad, they have energy efficient windows, solar roof panels and sun pipes making them highly efficient and cheaper to run.
The 64 revamped properties are mixed in amongst existing homes which have also been improved externally so the whole street is revived. It's an excellent job by architects MBLA who have managed to bring them bang up to date without destroying the character.
They are being sold by Miller Homes and there are only 5 left, all the 3 bed Ash design which is priced at £115,000.
I am less enthralled with the design of the brand new four beds which are clad in white tiles and have allowed the team at MBLA, always fans of the grey oblong window (see the Life Buildings in Hulme) give the notion full reign.
The front of the houses have no less than nine window openings and there’s a suspended bay stuck on the side for good measure.
Inside some work better than others. Dressing them is going to be tricky but the actual living space is fine and despite not being very deep the houses are high and wide so feel big, especially as you walk on up to the second floor where there’s a master bedroom and an outdoor terrace.
I like the fact that the kitchen has a big central island and space enough for a table for the family to congregate round and doors out onto a small garden and that the living room is smaller and snugger.
Maybe it’s just me that doesn’t like the externals because all seven have been sold - at £165,000 - to people who currently live within a five mile radius.
They sit like beacons at the end of the terraced streets, a marked distinction between old and new and face onto the now levelled bus depot.
According to the council there are no fixed timescales to develop this land; “it is part of the larger Bowes Streets regeneration package” and no applications have yet gone it. Like everything else it’s awaiting HCA funding I suspect.
And it would make sense to concentrate on The Maine Place development half a mile away which is also selling three and four bed family houses as well as rather good apartments.
But everyone is so chuffed with the way this whole area is now looking they are having a bit of a bash soon to celebrate and there’s talk of an ice-rink and a mini fun fair although disappointingly no dodgems.
Click here for more information.
Fusion New Build
