• Architecture
• Masterplanning
• Urban Design
• Landscape Architecture
• Interior Design
• Town Planning
• Project Management
• Environmental Services

PRP Consortium Wins Manchester PFI

15.01.2002

A consortium which includes PRP Architects has become the first to achieve preferred partner status for a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) regeneration project.

The Grove Village Consortium has been selected by Manchester City Council, after a competitive bidding process involving four teams, to develop plans for the rundown Plymouth Grove and Stockport Road estates. This is one of eight national pathfinder projects designed to explore the application of PFI to social housing.

Although the area to be improved has good transport links to the city centre and is close to the universities and hospitals, it has experienced under investment and is an unpopular place to live. The current unorthodox street pattern, which creates many narrow pedestrian alleyways and small patches of open space, has also led to increased crime and fear of crime and other social problems.

PRP’s proposals will address the need to improve street layout and remove some of the mainly 1970s built low rise social housing. The retained properties will be refurbished, providing for a mixed tenure community of around 1250 homes, with some properties developed specifically for keyworkers and others for private sale. Wider social issues will be tackled through providing enhanced community facilities in a new village centre; including shops, a healthy living centre and ‘one stop’ village management centre.

Barry Munday, Chairman of PRP Architects, said: “We are delighted to be part of this winning consortium and look forward to working with the other partners, the residents and the City Council to bring about the regeneration of this important area of the City. PFI is a new procurement route for housing and regeneration and we will be working hard to ensure that it provides a high quality sustainable solution."