Landlords Wanted
Council leader says lack of housing will hinder the city’s economic growth.
According to Leese, ‘Manchester is full’ and needs 3,500 to 4,000 new homes a year to keep up with the surge in population, mainly of 25-29 year olds which is expected to grow by 40%.
He told an Insider business breakfast discussing residential investment last week that development over the last ten years had left a clear message about raising standards and that badly managed blocks now blighted the market and the city. He pledged that the City’s own development joint venture with Abu Dhabi United Group, Manchester Life, would deliver homes that raised the quality threshold.
Leese said: “They will have space and environmental standards that exceed what the market has been used to and the management standards will set new bench marks.” He stated the appointment of Stirling Prize winning architects Feilden Clegg Bradley to design the conversion of the important Murray’s Mills site in Ancoats (by Royal Mills) was an indication of the design levels they were expecting. “I think that will send very, very clear signs out,” Leese explained. “What we are doing through Manchester Life is setting new standards of quality for the city.”
He clearly does not want to repeat mistakes. “We should not ignore the fact that we still have significant developments which suffer from poor management and that is not good for anyone,” he said. He admitted afterwards that he does not believe there is much the city council can do to rectify this problem. A disappointingly defeatist stance from the council leader.
One thing the council could do is offer practical help to people in those rotten developments to gain control over their own building through the Right To Manage process. Its incredibly complex and complicated and having a council funded expert to help and advise would give many more Manchester residents the courage to take ownership and oust bad management companies.