Team chosen to develop Neighbourhood Development Framework for Manchester’s Holt Town area

Studio Egret West have been appointed to lead a multi-disciplinary team to develop a Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) for Holt Town in east Manchester.

Manchester City Council is working with Homes England and GMCA to develop a new plan to help guide the long-term investment plan for this regeneration area. The procurement competition was launched in October 2023, attracting international interest and a range of high-quality bids.

The winning submission reflected a creative and energetic approach to the regeneration opportunity, while also showing demonstrable experience of Manchester’s development and planning landscape - and an ambition that matched the Council’s vision.

Studio Egret West will be leading a multi-disciplinary team which includes Deloitte, MVRDV NEXT, Turley, AKT II, Hilson Moran, Deetu and Hatch, which will bring a blend of local, national and international experience to the programme.

Holt Town is one of Manchester’s most exciting regeneration prospects for the coming years, with a strategically important location sat between the city centre and the renowned investment in east Manchester at Sportcity, the Etihad Campus and the new Co-op Live Arena.

The scope of the plan will cover 30ha of post-industrial brownfield land, alongside redundant infrastructure, historic canals and underused heritage assets.

The vision is to transform the area into a sustainable, digitally driven new town within the city, with capacity for around 4,500 new homes. The NDF will propose generous, safe and green public space that will include designs for future living - underpinned by good health and well-being principles, including new active travel routes.

With employment opportunities on the doorstep – and its own Metrolink station – Holt Town is particularly well placed to become home for more Mancunians in the future as the city looks to expand its housing options, along with new jobs and business opportunities.

The regeneration programme will celebrate the area’s existing waterways which create a true sense of place, while harking back to the industrial history of the area – a space full of character.

While ensuring a nod to the past, Holt Town will be a future community, brimming with the innovation and digital first ideology of a modern, forward-thinking neighbourhood.

The draft plan will be prepared in the coming months before consultation later this year.

The Holt Town regeneration opportunity will be included as a feature conversation at the Manchester stand at the MIPIM conference next week (Tuesday 12 March).

Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council said:

“I’m thrilled with the response we received for this opportunity to support the next stage of Holt Town’s regeneration journey. The successful submission reflects Holt Town’s potential to create a new town in the city for a growing Manchester. It mirrored our own vision and ambition to ensure we celebrate the area’s heritage while creating new opportunities for digital investment, affordable homes and low carbon features that will future proof this new neighbourhood.

“We will always strive to deliver more for our residents and businesses and to work with partners who share this approach. I look forward to seeing the newly appointed team progress the plan for this community, supporting our ambitions for sustainable and inclusive growth as a key principle for Holt Town.”

David West, Founding Director of Studio Egret West said:

“Our team was instantly energised by the Council's bold ambition to bring forward a pioneering framework for Holt Town. We will bring a fresh approach to the challenge of shaping a ‘town within the city’ and look forward to championing a genuinely collaborative and co-created neighbourhood framework.”