Report of the Chief Executive attached

The Executive considered a report of the Chief Executive which provided an update on key areas of progress against the Our Manchester Strategy – Forward to 2025 which reset Manchester’s priorities for the next five years to ensure the Council could still achieve the city’s ambition set out in the Our Manchester Strategy 2016 – 2025.

The Executive Member for Growth and Housing reported that consultation was underway on a new masterplan for Grey Mare Lane estate to continue the regeneration of East Manchester.  The aim was to develop a future-proofed, highly sustainable neighbourhood for existing and new residents, with community as a key focus of the plan.  The masterplan presented a high-level overview of the regeneration opportunities within the estate and outlines potential approaches to its delivery.  Housing association Great Places would also begin targeted engagement around their development at the site on the corner of Grey Mare Lane and Ashton New Road from 5 June 2024. The proposed scheme would deliver a block of 66 apartments for social rent providing a landmark gateway development into the masterplan area.  A planning application would be submitted alongside the masterplan for the estate and Great Places had been working closely with the Council and the masterplan architect to ensure the proposals were aligned. 

The Executive Member for Growth and Housing also reported that the Council’s housing company This City had celebrated a major milestone in the  construction of one of its schemes.  A topping out ceremony was held earlier this month marking the highest point of the build for Number One Ancoats Green being reached. The development would deliver 129 new homes – 119 apartments and 10 town houses - on a former brownfield city centre fringe site.  Some 30% of these new homes would be affordable, capped at the Manchester Living Rent making the homes accessible to as many Manchester people as possible.  A range of one bed to four bed homes were being built to meet a wide range of needs, including families who wanted to live close to the city centre.  Six further Manchester sites were currently being considered for development by This City and the ambition was to scale up building to 500 homes a year.

Councillor Leech sought clarification on the ability of the new masterplan for Grey Mare Lane to deliver truly affordable housing for Manchester residents and what the proportion of retained green space would be from the One Ancoats Green development.

The Deputy Leader (Statutory) reported that Manchester played host on 13 May 2024 to a national best practice event to share lessons from Operation Green Jacket which was launched in 2019 in response to historical offending against children in the early 2000s, and the city’s collective approach tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE) and reaffirm the commitment to continued improvement.  The event, hosted jointly by the Council and Greater Manchester Police (GMP), brought together agencies and subject matter experts to share valuable learning, insights and approaches into how CSE was being tackled.  Since the establishment of Project Phoenix in 2012, the Council and GMP had increased the focus on developing and strengthening an effective partnership.  This was taken to the next level by the creation in 2018 of Manchester’s Complex Safeguarding Hub, bringing together social services, the voluntary sector, Police and health services in one place. Together, they worked to ensure children and young people at risk of being exploited were identified and action was taken to prevent and protect children from being exploited, whilst seeking to disrupt and prosecute those who sought to exploit the city’s children and young people.

Councillor Leech sought clarification on how many people still accesses the advice line and what future reporting there would ube on best practice arising from the shared lessons from Operation Green Jacket.

The Deputy Leader (Statutory) also reported that a new strategy had been officially launched to help strengthen community cohesion across Manchester.  The Building Stronger Communities Together 2023-26 strategy recognised the challenges created by upheavals ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to the cost of-living crisis and took a neighbourhood-focused approach to encouraging people to come together, strike up conversations, build meaningful relationships and feel a part of Manchester whatever their individual identities.  A delivery programme was being developed alongside the strategy to determine how the Council could best build on the strategies priorities over the next 12 months. Activities would be built on structures and opportunities which were already in place in communities and would work to identify what worked best in each location.

Decision

The Executive note the report.