Landlords Wanted
A twenty-first century version of the back to back terrace is being planned for Ancoats ….
A scheme of fourteen, four storey, four bed houses in two rows sitting opposite the original Victorian terraces on George Leigh Street.
A handful of residents have voiced their concerns that the new houses are too high and will loom over the quaint originals leading to loss of light.
Many more are upset about the loss of the garden next to St Michael’s Church and more than 40 have signed a petition calling for it to be saved and turned into a community green space.
It seems a vain plea as both the garden and the Presbytery will need to go to accommodate the density of the new housing on the 12,400 sq ft site, the rear row of housing is so close to the Ice Plant building that borders the site that it doesn’t meet minimum distances (they have used Ancoats historic ‘narrow street grid pattern’ as an argument for approval).
The scheme has been designed by Altrincham-based architects Calderpeel and while height and density are an issue, having decent sized houses with garaging and gardens will be a welcome addition to the housing mix in the area.
According to the Design and Access statement:
“Each house has a private double garage which is accessed via a central road between the two rows of terraces. This is covered by first floor gardens which keeps a car free environment to the fronts of the houses and creates a safe environment for the resident’s vehicles.
“Defensible space is provided to each unit, with the main entrance set back from the main elevation of the building, this provides an opportunity to create a space which can be inspired from similar spaces across George Leigh Street. A large open plan first floor living space makes full use of the light available to the site with full height glazing in both the front and rear elevations, which opens onto the first floor amenity deck.
“The second and third floor consist of four bedrooms, two en-suites and a family bathroom. Two terraces one on each of these floors give an extra element to these properties and are designed in such a way to remove the overlooking issue from the Ice Plant.”