- Architecture
- Masterplanning
- Urban Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Interior Design
- Town Planning
- Project Management
- Environmental Services
Beswick
Date: 2003
Regeneration
Client: Gleeson Regen, Lovell, New E. Manchester
Manchester received a welcome regenerative boost when it hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games. But just south of the brand-new new sports stadium is Beswick – a run-down area with a poor reputation and high crime rate.
In January 2002 New East Manchester Urban Regeneration Company appointed two developers, Gleeson and Lovell, to regenerate the south of Beswick. This area comprises dense Victorian terraced houses, Radburn housing estates and large areas of unmanageable public open space. PRP was appointed as masterplanners and landscape architects to the partnership.
Our aim in masterplanning is to deliver good quality urban design that enables integrated, safe and sustainable communities to develop and thrive. Our plan for Beswick creates around 1,000 new homes for both public sector and private ownership. These are primarily family houses with gardens, plus some apartments.
The plans also replace the existing shopping areas and offices with new and better facilities, create new and improved primary and secondary schools and upgrade the parks. The result is a design based on a traditional street pattern which encourages more walking and cycling and reduces the dominance of the car, thereby creating a desirable area to live and bring up a family.
Central to the design is a Green Route which creates an attractive feature through the site. It has the added benefit of being a coherent thread connecting the different house types and of being a safe place to walk and play.