Transforming Beswick - Phase Two
17/01/2013 - 22/01/2013
Last year, East Manchester residents were asked their views on plans for new community facilities in the Beswick area.
The plans described new community facilities that will transform the area and benefit local people, creating:
A new sixth-form college
A new leisure centre, including a public swimming pool
New shops
A sports research institute
A new rugby pitch for use by the local community, schools and athletes
Employment opportunities.
The overwhelming majority of residents (93%) who responded indicated that they would use all or a combination of the leisure, retail and educational facilities offered by the proposals. Their feedback and other comments have helped to shape the proposals further.
This project is led by Manchester City Council and supported by Manchester City Football Club and many other organisations.
The proposals cover 16 acres of Beswick and Openshaw West, taking in the land around Grey Mare Lane and Alan Turing Way, including the development site to the south west corner of the new City Football Academy.
The new facilities aim to create 195 new jobs and to bring 2,500 visitors per day to the area.
A planning application is being prepared for submission in January 2013. The planning application will include all details for the new college, leisure centre, rugby pitch and all landscaping and public realm works. The sports institute and new retail facilities are to be submitted in outline only, which means we will be seeking approval for the location of these, as well as their overall maximum size; their design and detailed appearance will need to be agreed at a later date.
High-quality public realm
The proposals are designed to provide a vibrant new green space at the heart of the area.
This high-quality public realm will be part of the regeneration of East Manchester and attract further investment and jobs.
The proposals aim to replace the current shops in the former Beswick precinct with new local shops. To ensure services are maintained for the community, the existing retailers will not vacate their premises until the alternative facilities have been built.
It has been agreed that both the private market and the co-operative traders’ market will close. Co-operative market traders will be given business support and advice. Any market traders who wish to trade in a licensed market operated by Manchester Markets will be given an option for available stalls in other locations.
The proposals include making the area more pedestrian-friendly by closing a section of Grey Mare Lane between Bell Crescent and The East Manchester Academy. A new road between Grey Mare Lane and Alan Turing Way will be created to allow local traffic to continue to move around the area.
The Beswick Leisure Centre
The state-of-the-art new facilities will include a new swimming pool with spectator seating designed to host a full programme of community swimming activities, including water polo. There will be learn-to-swim programmes, aqua classes and other health-related swimming activities. The facilities will also include a dance studio and 70-station gym plus a new rugby pitch nearby for use by schools and the local community, as well as athletes.
The new leisure centre would employ 25 full and part-time staff and could attract up to 600 people per day.
This will be a brand-new facility for all residents of East Manchester, and will mean that even more people can access a good-quality swimming pool.
New sixth-form college
Connell Sixth-Form College will accommodate 600 students (16 to 19-year-olds).
The project has been approved and is being funded by the Department for Education, and the college will be part of the Bright Futures Educational Trust.
From September 2013 Connell students will be taught at The East Manchester Academy, before moving to a purpose-built facility on the Etihad Campus in September 2014.
Young people who live close to the college will be given priority for admission. There will be 270 students in Years 12 and 13 and 60 places in the Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will be part of a three-year course.
There will be wrap-around provision for students, including extended study provision and crèche facilities, and they will be able to use the leisure centre and swimming pool nearby.
Once the college is established it is intended to offer educational opportunities to the wider community.
http://www.east-manchester.com/index.htm
Taken from the planning application.
The Beswick Leisure Centre
[bigimg]http://i.imgur.com/6PigViL.jpg[/bigimg]
New sixth-form college
[bigimg]http://i.imgur.com/jrgqfYI.jpg[/bigimg]
Outline Application. <a class="postlink" href="http://pa.manchester.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=MGZCFXBC03M00" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://pa.manchester.gov.uk/online-appl ... CFXBC03M00</a>
