Report of the Strategic Director – Growth and Development attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director – Growth and Development, which detailed the outcome of a public consultation exercise involving local residents, businesses and stakeholders, relating to a Draft Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) for the Ardwick Green area and sought approval of a final version of the NDF.

The Ardwick Green neighbourhood was located on the south-eastern edge of the city centre and was increasingly attracting the attention of developers and investors. The development of a Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) would guide and co-ordinate the future development of this key area, in line with adopted planning policy and build on existing regeneration initiatives in Mayfield and Brunswick.

The aspiration was to see improved social, environmental and economic outcomes from well-designed developments in the local context and a sense of place.  The NDF included detailed and targeted objectives that could improve the liveability, functionality, design and connectivity of Ardwick Green.

Letters were sent to 1,920 local residents, landowners, businesses, and stakeholders, in late November 2020 informing them about the public consultation.  The Council received 25 responses to the public consultation. 21 responses were made via the consultation web pages on the City Council website and a further 4 were received by email from the Environment Agency, CBRE representing a landowner, Manchester and Salford Ramblers and the Medlock Primary School. 

The majority of the stakeholders who responded to the consultation expressed their overall support for the draft NDF, believing that appropriate development and preservation of the heritage aspects of the neighbourhood and the green spaces would enhance the neighbourhood. Responses to specific points raised had been considered within the report and a number of minor revisions had been made to the NDF document which were detail din the report.

Subject to endorsement of the Ardwick Green NDF, there were a number of important next steps for the  Council and project partners, including One Manchester, that needed to take place to ascertain the best way of implementing the ambitions of the Ardwick Green NDF, which included:-

·                Undertaking further technical work to devise a strategy for the management of residential and commuter parking that is currently adversely affecting the area;

·                Undertaking an audit of the existing social and affordable housing stock to identify the ways in which improvements could be delivered;

·                Supporting the opportunities presented and allow key stakeholders to carry out further detailed design and feasibility work on the potential form and function of the crossing points that could be included both within and to adjoining areas to improve connectivity; and

·                Taking steps to support community projects that could help to deliver immediate positive change in the local area and public spaces.

It was  noted that during the period of NDF development and consultation the Council became aware of the emergence of a new driver for change in the immediate area of the NDF, namely that the Manchester College had undertaken a review of its educational estate within the city and identified the Nicholl’s College Campus on Hyde Road / Devonshire Street as a surplus asset that would be suitable for disposal for redevelopment.  Given the significance of this site it had been agreed that an Addendum to the NDF should be prepared to extend the area of coverage and continue the principles set out in the Ardwick Green NDF to incorporate the Nicholls College Campus, and commercial and industrial land to the north.

Again, subject to approval, the intention was that this draft extension to the Ardwick Green NDF would be the subject of a public consultation exercise that would take place between May and July 2021, involving local residents, landowners, businesses, developers, statutory and non-statutory bodies and other local stakeholders.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)      Note the outcome of the public consultation on the draft NDF for Ardwick Green and subsequent revisions to the NDF that is appended to this report in final form.

(2)      Approve the NDF for Ardwick Green, noting that it will then act as a material consideration for the Local Planning Authority when assessing future planning applications within the NDF area.

(3)      Request that the Strategic Director – Growth and Development, working in conjunction with colleagues in other Directorates, undertakes the programme of work outlined in the next steps section of the report to ascertain the best way of implementing the ambitions of the Ardwick Green NDF.

(4)          Approve the Draft Addendum to the Ardwick Green NDF and request that the Strategic Director – Growth and Development, undertake a further public consultation exercise on the proposals set out for the extended area with local stakeholders and bring a report back to a future meeting of the Executive with a final version of this Addendum, taking into account comments and representations made.