The report of the Strategic Director (Development) is now enclosed

Councillor Richards declared a personal interest in this item as a member of the Board of One Manchester.

In March 2017 a draft of the 2017 Eastlands Regeneration Framework had been considered and endorsed as the basis of further consultation with local stakeholders and landowners (Minute Exe/17/049). In December 2017, having considered the outcome of the consultation that draft had been approved and adopted (Minute Exe/17/151). As an element of the SRF, in December 2018 we had endorsed a draft Masterplan for the Etihad Campus Sport and Innovation Zone as a basis for consultation (Minutes Exe/18/083 and Exe/18/086).

A report submitted by the Chief Executive explained that since the Framework had been adopted in 2017 the economic environment of the city had continued to change and improve, and that the profile of Manchester, and of the ambitions for the Etihad Campus was now attracting significant interest from investors looking to develop major sports, leisure and recreation opportunities. To address these changes a new Regeneration Framework had been drafted to seek to provide further guidance for the next generation of private and public investment that will realise the overall ambitions for Eastlands and the wider East Manchester area. A copy of the draft Framework as appended to the report.

The draft would seek to respond to the increasing interest from national and international investors who were evaluating the Etihad Campus as a location for new entertainment and leisure offers. The report highlighted one such opportunity: a new large indoor arena with a capacity in excess of 20,000. International investors and operators were seeing Manchester as one of the few cities in Europe with the ability to successfully host more than one large arena. It was known that these investors were evaluating locational options and were addressing the detailed business case for such an investment with a view to selecting a site and bringing forward development proposals. As well as that, other facilities were being seen by investors and operators as being potentially viable propositions including a multiplex cinema, an expanded food and beverage offer, and hotel development.

The report also explained that the redrafting of the Framework was an opportunity to build upon the sporting success of the Etihad Campus to increase the area’s sporting strengths. With the planned investment by the Manchester Metropolitan University, the Etihad Campus was to become a home of global and national sports organisations where sports centres of excellence would thrive. Therefore, the promotion of new business and employment opportunities could potentially secure a new Sports-Tech cluster within the defined Sport and Innovation Zone, and also benefit the wider area.

The Ancoats, New Islington and Holt Town neighbourhoods were becoming increasingly established as locations for small creative and tech-based companies. There were emerging demands for space within the area for small businesses throughout the creative technology sector. There was also demand for larger developments and new live / work models. The draft Framework therefore proposed that the Eastlands area should now be planned to take this business growth further by supporting activity in these neighbourhoods, in particular building upon the emerging MXM flexible workspace scheme being brought forward on Pollard Street.

The report also addressed the opportunities to expand the housing offer in the area by providing affordable homes along with higher value homes to promote diversity. Opportunities for new affordable housing in areas such as Beswick, Riverpark Road, Clayton, Miles Platting and New Islington must be secured to provide the opportunities for all residents to fully capture the benefits of growth to be found in the Eastlands area as well as the rest of the city.

It was explained that the intention was for there to be a period of public consultation on this new draft. That was agreed.

Decisions

1.         To endorse the draft 2019 Eastlands Regeneration Framework as a basis for a public consultation exercise.

2.         To request the Chief Executive undertake a public consultation exercise on the Regeneration Framework with local stakeholders.

3.         To request that a further report be brought forward, following the public consultation exercise, setting out the comments received.