Manchester Town Hall report - part three with Oldham, Bolton, and Salford Quays

Above: the four platform tram station in St Peter's Square with view to Manchester Town Hal, the Central Library and the Midland Hotel

The third part of Future Cities Forum's discussion event at Manchester Town Hall - with Cllr Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Development at Manchester City Council - debated the importance of landscape curation in new urban settlements, the ongoing need for transport connectivity in the North of England, public/private investment for infrastructure and housing as well as the value of culture to attract and retain talent in cities. The discussion was also joined by Salford City Council's Director for Property and Housing, Stephanie Mullenger, and Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, Cllr Nick Small.

AY's Principal, Land and Development, Kim Grieveson, who has been working in London for several years and recently returned to the North West, compared the development of urbanism and transport provision in both parts of the country:

'I think it is very important to not turn our backs on nature and re-engage with the softer landscape. It is not enough to call it a park when we are developing sites, we should also look at it as managing for flood purposes. We should maximise what we have got. We are facing a real step change in the way we are designing urban spaces. We should work hard with rivers. It has been a change coming in the last five years.

'We also need to re-connect with our transport provision. I worked on the Olympic Park in London and in the Capital it is a foregone conclusion that you move around on public transport. It is not a problem. It is not the same up here. It is revolutionary that you would sell your car in the North West and rely on public transport. The infrastructure is just not here. It is very much a current concern here who takes the buses and who drives their car. There is a lack of integration. We need the message that it is not second class to take the bus because it ticks environmental options. There is a perception of hierarchy in travel options and that needs to change.

'Certainly the money was going up while HS2 was being driven forward but there are concerns if there is no investment. We do the transport modelling and there is never enough money, but it is transport that delivers growth. There has been research into the Crossway modelling which was all about delivering promises and growth. But what has it actually done? Residential numbers have well exceeded expectations but has given very limited growth in terms of jobs.'

Above: car free public realm - view from Albert Square through to Lincoln Square in central Manchester

The issue of car use versus public transport was taken forward by Gillian Harrison of architects Levitt Bernstein:

'The storage of people's cars is the issue. They are often sitting somewhere not being used. There are fleets of available cars that can be used. The technology is there. How much parking can we go on supplying with numbers of homes needed? All transport options should be on the table, even water taxis. We must take people away from primary car ownership which costs individuals a fortune. We have been working with Gravesham Council in Kent and water taxis are part of its vision. We must make public transport better in terms of connectivity and journey times, make it faster and cheaper. People will pay for that. It's much better for mental health as people see each other and interact.'

During the discussion the connectivity to the new football stadium (for Manchester United) which is 'outside the mental map of the city' but not far way, was mentioned with the question on behaviour change for accessing it. Salford City Council's Stephanie Mullenger also referenced the fact that the city is based around water, with lorries needing to be taken off the road and potentially freight carried by water-based transport.

Two of Levitt Bernstein's housing projects have been concerned with the industrial heritage of Bolton and the regeneration of the River Croal, as well as using disused sites for new urban gardens.

Levitt Bernstein describes the projects:

'In Bolton, Deansgate Gardens development will create a new neighbourhood in the heart of Bolton Town Centre and provide 167 homes for private rent. The masterplan is driven by the area's context and landscape, relating back to the fine grain layout during Bolton’s industrial peak. New links to a regenerated River Croal are created to ensure this asset can be brought into greater use. Deansgate Gardens becomes a key linking route, bringing people to and from the nearby civic quarter.

'Homes are spread across two apartment buildings and six blocks of stacked townhouses, each supported by generous external amenity and shared communal spaces. Varied outdoor spaces are located throughout, both at ground level and elevated. Diverse internal shared spaces seek to provide as many options as possible for residents to socialise, work, eat, exercise, and relax.

'Our concept for the disused site of Broadway Gardens in Salford is to transform it into an urban garden with a new residential building emerging from the greenery. Of the 24 homes, the majority will be innovative, dual aspect studio apartments alongside a number of ground-floor duplexes with private terraces.

'Located in a predominantly hard surrounding landscape, our proposals feature a series of planted courtyard and rooftop terraces. Together with an enhanced boundary treatment, these topographical additions improve the visual amenity of the existing area and provide valuable outdoor amenity space for the new residents. The scheme received planning consent in September 2018.'

Above: Deansgate Gardens, Bolton - courtesy Levitt Bernstein

EY Partner Marcus Richards joined the discussion in his capacity as financial advisor to Manchester's Northern Gateway / Victoria North programme and to talk about the persistent challenges of public private financing. Jointly developed and funded by FEC and Manchester City Council, Victoria North is set to create 15,000 new homes across 155 hectares and seven neighbourhoods over the next 20 years, helping with the shortfall in housing in Manchester.

The development area covers approximately 155 hectares to the north of Manchester city centre between Victoria Station, NOMA and the Northern Quarter in the southwest, and Queens Park and the intermediate Ring Road (Queens Road) to the north-east.

Marcus commented:

'If we talk about these hugely ambitious schemes (in Manchester) they have all been carried out against a background of huge financial duress and pressure on local government finances.

'What I have found so impressive about the Victoria North project and other big schemes is that they are delivering not just housing but also infrastructure, public realm and social amenities while putting minimal pressure on the public purse, and allowing - in the case of Victoria North - for a significant repayment of the public capital that is going into it. The success of this brings the importance of public private collaboration to the fore.

'There are such fundamental reforms needed about funding and finance models for LAs, the government has said it will make reforms, and these are definitely required - and local authorities still push on with their projects..

'We talk about concepts like the New Towns programme, where central government is leaving to local and regional authorities to come up with the form that the programme might take. As with Victoria North councils are coming up with ideas as to what might attract private capital, establishing investment propositions, and what support central government can provide. All of this requires a commercial structure for public private collaboration.

'The Confidence Barometer is where we at EY survey Section 151 officers in an attempt to try and gauge the confidence in terms of outlook on local finances. There is a huge concern on the short to medium term about balancing budgets. I think capital budgets are severely constrained as well. However the local authorities are often still using commercial innovation to deliver projects against a hugely challenging background.'

Above: Collyhurst Village part of the Victoria North development - courtesy of Manchester City Council / FEC

During the debate there was comment from Mike Edge, Partner, Mills & Reeve, about the enduring confidence of the City of Manchester to survive economic downturns.

Mike heads the real estate team in Manchester and manages the relationships with some of the firm's major clients. He has over 30 years' experience and has worked on many landmark development and investment deals for clients including developers, investors, institutions and occupiers. He is respected for both his technical skill and for project managing teams with cross-discipline expertise. He said:

'You cannot ignore Manchester as part of the UK economy. The City has a surprising amount of confidence around funding, especially as debt funding can be expensive. There is investment to be had and Manchester has shown confidence and clarity in its vision and ten year plan. The City has fared better than others coming out of recession and this has had a lower impact on GDP. There are significant projects and opportunities here. The Council has demonstrated that they are clear and well thought out and that it does deliver them.'

Mike was asked about the creation of NISTA, which has recently taken over from the IPA and whether that was a further symbol of infrastructure development being delivered well:

'You have got to have national strategies as well as local ones and that's where NISTA will come in. Manchester has to see itself as part of a larger UK economy. Of course the Infrastructure Bill will help to transform the planning system and there has to be the willingness to spend time on this and put the right resourcing in to it.'

Above: Salford Quays, courtesy Visit Manchester

The value of culture to attract and retain talent in the North of England, linked to key infrastructure was taken up in the debate by Dr Mei Ren, Partner at Buro Happold. Mei has over 25 years of experience in sustainability, green building design and strategic policy consultancy across all sectors of the built environment and master planning.

She started her career as a researcher at the Building Research Establishment and then undertook PhD research in optimum control of thermal storage systems. Since then, Mei has spent most of her professional life as a designer and specialist consultant on a range of multidisciplinary projects across multiple sectors. Her areas of expertise include detailed knowledge of low carbon building design, energy strategy, climate change adaption and mitigation strategies.

Mei has extensive experience in leading holistic design approaches to help our clients achieve flexibility, design efficiency and improving the resilience of their businesses. She has led the delivery of many buildings and masterplan projects, and is experienced in coordinating and managing multi-disciplinary input to ensure seamless integration of skills and embedding sustainability in every element of design and strategy.

She has been involved with several policy studies for public sectors and has been instrumental in developing energy strategies and sustainability delivery frameworks for a range of projects.

She commented:

'People are drawn to Manchester because of the culture and industrial heritage. In Salford The Lowry has been a catalyst for starting further infrastructure in the City. Likewise in Manchester there is the St John's masterplan. Investment in small community centres can produce larger effects and kick start further regeneration.

'An example of this is the area of the city where the Museum of Science and Industry sits, next to the old Granada Studios and where those TV studios have been so valuable to the community, along with the Highline project.

'But Manchester lacks water interconnectivity and we must join up blue and green infrastructure. This is important and could connect Salford to Liverpool too. Investment in this also connects to the health matrix and green financing is so important here. We need a holistic system for the business case for these cities and culture plays a big part in that.'

Above: view over the Museum of Science and Industry Manchester campus, containing the historic site of the world's first passenger railway station - with the Enterprise City development, old Granada TV studios and the Factory cultural venue to right

Ged Couser from BDP re-joined the conversation to talk about the importance of developing industrial and cultural heritage across the North and in particular the Egyptian Hall in Oldham:

'Oldham Town Hall was a complicated building as it was designed across differing ground levels. The Council came to us and asked what we could do with as it was derelict. We thought the best option was a cinema and we added a new element to the old building to deal with the difference in change of ground levels and to provide performance spaces.

'It is adjacent to a tram stop so very accessible and the Egyptian Room within the building is really the jewel in the crown and we have now just finished transforming it into a food hall for commercial value.'

BDP describes the project:

'With more than 200 covers across indoor and outdoor seating areas, including a mezzanine, this impressive venue combines contemporary dining experiences with the preserved elegance of the building’s historic, Victorian architecture, original decorative tiling, parquet and terrazzo flooring, and grand plastered ceilings. The new Egyptian Room offers a dynamic mix of local street food vendors bringing flavours from around the globe to Oldham’s town centre. Visitors can enjoy diverse culinary options along with cocktails and live music every weekend, making the Egyptian Room the ideal spot for social gatherings, whether for a night out or a relaxed meal with family.

'The Egyptian Room Food Hall project marks another successful collaboration between with Oldham Council, building on the extensive restoration work we completed at the Old Town Hall in 2016. The Council’s vision was to revive this unique space as a casual dining and cultural destination, contributing to the night-time economy and reinforcing Oldham as a centre of community life and leisure.'

Future Cities Forum is very grateful to those contributors who took part in our North of England 'Industrial Cities' discussion event and especially grateful to Manchester City Council for hosting the debate in the Town Hall.

Image below: the Egyptian Hall, courtesy of BDP.