- Architecture
- Masterplanning
- Urban Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Interior Design
- Town Planning
- Project Management
- Environmental Services
Plymouth Grove
Date: 2004
The first UK housing PFI
Client: Grove Village PFI consortium
The first-ever UK housing PFI, Grove Village is a major regeneration programme aimed at literally turning around a failing, crime-ridden estate in Manchester.
Plymouth Grove was originally a 1970’s-built estate of 1,090 local authority homes, most of which were two-storey flats and houses. The estate was notorious for the rat runs and alleyways which enabled criminals to disappear, even in the daytime. A sense of social exclusion was exacerbated by the way that properties faced inwards into the estate, rather than outwards to the rest of the city.
PRP’s masterplan tackles the major design flaws by changing the orientation of many of the properties so they front onto public highway. Remodelling the roads has eliminated the rat runs and created a new mile-long Home Zone (known as the Green Route) which includes three parks on its length and provides a safe public realm where children can play without fear of speeding cars.
When complete, Grove Village will comprise around 1,300 properties, of which more than 650 will be new build. There will be a mix of homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale and extra life will be brought into the area with the creation of 2,000 m² of shops and offices with apartments above. Manchester College of Art and Technology has already secured space in this new commercial hub and the partners hope that, when complete, Grove Village will provide a model for a balanced, successful community.