Manchester council’s planning committee is set to approve plans for new neighbourhoods in North Manchester, including thousands of homes, a school, and a health centre. The major development is part of a £4bn project to rejuvenate this part of the city, known as the Victoria North scheme. The scheme aims to build 15,000 homes over the next two decades, and work is already underway.

The committee will vote on plans for the Red Bank neighbourhood next week, which includes an application for up to 3,250 new homes. Additionally, the committee will consider plans for three plots on Dantzic Street, which are part of the Victoria North project. In total, 1,550 new homes are planned across seven buildings varying in height between six and 34 storeys on these three plots.

The Red Bank development, spread over a 30-acre, largely brownfield site, is one of seven neighbourhoods set to be regenerated as part of Victoria North. The Far East Consortium (FEC), the Hong Kong firm partnering with the council on the project, has applied for planning permission in principle to build in the area. The outline planning application includes up to 3,250 new homes and more than 160,000 sq ft of non-residential floor space, including commercial uses, a health centre, primary school, residential amenities, community spaces, and new public realm. A fifth of the new homes would be affordable.

Full planning permission for three plots of land along Dantzic Street will also be considered by the committee. Just 5% of the 1,551 homes planned for this site next to FEC’s 634-home Victoria Riverside scheme would be affordable. The plans feature a new high street with 20,000 sq ft of commercial and retail space earmarked for local independent businesses. FEC also says there would be significant improvements to the streetscape of Dantzic Street and Dalton Street with tree planting, resurfacing, widened footpaths, and new cycle lanes.

Other developments set to be discussed at the town hall meeting include expansion plans for Loreto College in Hulme, a proposal to demolish the former Chorlton leisure centre and build 50 affordable apartments for over-55s, and a proposal to convert two family homes in Burnage into eight flats.

The planning committee’s decisions on these projects will mark significant steps in Manchester’s ongoing efforts to rejuvenate and expand housing and community facilities in the city. The Victoria North scheme, in particular, represents a substantial investment in the future of North Manchester, with a focus on creating vibrant, sustainable neighbourhoods that cater to the diverse needs of the community.