With input from the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and the LGBT Foundation, Great Places Housing Group have circulated an update regarding their exciting new LGBT development in Whalley Range, Manchester.
The planned scheme will deliver 80 one and two bedroom apartments for older people, within a high-quality sustainable building of four to five storeys, that offers both a strong and inviting presence whilst designed with the context of the surrounding conservation area in mind.
The low-carbon scheme will include shared communal facilities including lounges, treatment rooms and landscaped gardens and will look to ensure an overall net gain of trees on the site.
Community Update July 2024
Work has made steady progress since our last update, and we’re pleased to announce that we have submitted plans for the ‘first of a kind’ purpose-built majority LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme in Whalley Range, south Manchester.
The scheme will look to increase the affordable housing opportunities for older people to move into high quality accommodation, with flexible care and support services available to meet changing needs encouraging independent living.
The residents will be required to be aged 55 years or over, with the majority of residents being members of the LGBTQ+ community from Manchester. Living alongside allies the aim is to provide an open and inclusive, physical and psychological place of safety for the older LGBTQ+ community and a welcome addition to the Whalley range area.
The final proposals will deliver 80 one- and two-bedroom social rented apartments for older people in a brick building of four to five storeys. The low-carbon scheme will include shared communal facilities including lounges and treatment rooms and landscaped gardens which will look to ensure an overall net gain of trees on the site.
The site will also include a neighbouring separate shared ownership block consisting of around 40 one- and two-bed apartments, delivering affordable homes to first time buyers and eligible customers, helping to address emerging affordability issues in places such as Whalley Range.
The final proposals could not have been developed without the crucial input from the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council and LGBT Foundation, and without the feedback from many of you via our consultation at the beginning of this year. We would like to thank everybody for their support in getting the Russell Road development to this stage.
The plans are due to be considered at Manchester City Council’s September Planning Meeting. You can read the planned proposals and you can provide your feedback ahead of the meeting here.
Co-production has underpinned the project from the outset, and alongside preparations for the planning submission, work has continued with the Community Steering Group (CSG) to co-produce a question for the Extra Care provider competitive tender that reflects the aspirations for care for LGBTQ+ older people demonstrated by Russell Road.
We’re also pleased to announce that Amy Davies, Head of Independent Living at Great Places Housing Group and a key member of the Russell Road Project Team, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship. This will enable her to travel to Berlin, Lyon and Madrid as part of a research study into specialist housing provision for LGBTQ+ older people.
We’re sure that you would join us in congratulating Amy on receiving this coveted award that will allow her to look into how the UK is making progress in specialist housing for LGBTQ+ older people, learning from others developing similar pioneering schemes across Europe to inform the development of the scheme as the project progresses.
Thanks for your continued support it is appreciated. We look forward to sharing further news on the planning submission as soon as we can as well as continuing to keep you up to date as to the latest developments as the project continues.
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