Much like Ferris Bueller’s view on life, Manchester moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, chances are you’ll miss something major. The past few years have seen a vast amount of catalytic change in the city as a handful of once long-dormant areas have been completely overhauled and redeveloped into vibrant, state-of-the-art neighbourhoods. To help you (and us) keep on top of Manchester’s rapidly changing landscape, here’s a few of the best new places to live, work and play in the city…
If you’ve cast your eyes across the Manchester skyline recently you’ll have no doubt noticed the collection of huge buildings looming over Deansgate. These four epic sky-scrapers constitute Deansgate Square, the tallest of which – the south tower – surpasses Manchester’s iconic Beetham Tower as the tallest building in the city, standing at 201 meters tall. These four new buildings boast 1508 luxury apartments and penthouses alongside a number of added extras that bring an extra layer of luxury to city living.
Residents get exclusive access to a 20 meter swimming pool, an indoor tennis court, a large gymnasium and dedicated relaxation and lounge spaces. There’s even a swanky rooftop garden and private bar available only to key-holders, providing some of the best views of Manchester. Meanwhile ground level is just as exciting.
In addition to being right by Deansgate Lockes and railway station, residents are also right by the calming vibes of Castlefield – and even have their own General Store for groceries and resident pop-up vendors like Choo Choo eclairs right on their doorstep. Not bad at all.
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Circle Square has big plans for the Oxford Road area of town. Transforming the space formerly occupied by the BBC building in between Charles Street and Newman Street, this new joint venture from Bruntwood SciTech and Vita Group aims to become a lively space for living, retail and play for both students and non-students alike.
Located right by the colourful shipping containers of street food and drink venue Hatch, Circle Square aims to deliver 1000 new homes, huge office spaces, a multi-storey car park and hotel, and a range of shops, restaurants and bars – with plans for a huge, multi-storey oriental food hall recently unveiled.
However perhaps more exciting is the promise of a brand new park, something Manchester City Centre has a particular lack of. Located at the heart of Circle Square’s state-of-the-art neighbourhood, Symphony Park will be relaxing green space perfect for socialising, relaxing and watching the world tick by during those balmy summer evenings. Measuring over 5 acres, expect morning yoga sessions, outdoor entertainment and plenty of chilled out vibes amid the bustle of the city centre. Sign us up!
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Located directly behind the Northern Quarter and right by Manchester’s hugely popular Ancoats neighbourhood, the city’s new Swan Street community is already starting to take shape. Driven by social impact developers Capital&Centric, the plan is to overhaul an area that’s packed full of potential and yet has long remained largely underused.
Together with the Kamani Group, 120 new homes will be brought to the New Cross District of town, with 1, 2 and 3 bedroom modern apartments available. A shared roof terrace and private roof terraces for residents will also be provided, alongside space for a huge street-art mural in keeping with the area’s counter-culture ethos.
Ground level will see new spaces pop-up for local business (think coffee shops, delis and indie retailers) and the arrival of Ramona – the Detroit-style pizza place and margarita bar built inside a long-derelict MOT garage depot – has already provided a flavour of exactly what we can expect from the neighbourhood in the coming months.
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- Words:
- Simon Bland
- Published on:
- Fri 21 May 2021
Located on Aytoun Street right by Manchester’s beautiful and bustling Gay Village, rumblings of the Kampus neighbourhood first emerged a few years back when the folks at food and drink venue Grub invaded the space to host an alternative Christmas market. Since then, the area has developed rapidly – billing itself as a ‘Garden neighbourhood’ designed to bring a little green into city-centre living.
Real estate developers Capital&Centric ushered in a number of fully-furnished apartments across five new buildings, each with a different aesthetic style ranging from Victorian to modernist. In the centre of these living spaces is an urban garden courtyard packed with plants and surrounded by a retail space that seems to be growing by the day.
Restaurant team Higher Ground were one of the first arrivals, taking over a cabin unit in the centre of the neighbourhood – but recent months have seen Common & Co unveil plans to open a new bar and slice kitchen from Nell’s Pizza and the General Stores team sharing plans to bring an eco-friendly store to the area. Keep your eyes glued to this place – Kampus is only getting started.