Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Regeneration Framework Guidance For land adjacent to Upper Brook Street, former Elizabeth Gaskell Campus, former Salvation Army and land adjacent to Birchall Way. September 2019 Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Regeneration Framework Guidance It is essential that the finite resources of developable land available within the Oxford Road Corridor are fully utilised in order to properly leverage the important economic advantages and agglomeration opportunities associated with the Oxford Road Corridor. This includes achieving an appropriate hierarchy of land uses and increased density of development whilst ensuring that the urban environment remains attractive and sustainable. The likelihood is that, over the next 10 years, space to grow is likely to become more and more of a significant challenge for the institutions and organisations already present within the Oxford Road Corridor, as is space to meet demand from new businesses and occupiers wishing to take advantage of the significant advantages of locating within the Oxford Road Corridor. This is borne out by analysis of the rate of construction and delivery over the last 10 years, together with the committed development pipeline, compared to land availability. Limitations on land availability will not only limit the future growth potential of the Oxford Road Corridor Institutions and their drive for excellence but also the scope for the City to draw in new added value businesses. This includes start-ups, established local, regional and international businesses, support services such as legal and finance, private healthcare, science partnerships and other businesses attracted by the potential to cluster around the Oxford Road Corridor Area’s key institutions. A key priority for the City and the Oxford Road Corridor Institutions is therefore to identify as well as safeguard the future use and development of available land in order to meet the requirements of strategic policy and maximise the opportunity to drive the City’s sustainable, inclusive growth and enhanced productivity. Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Regeneration Framework Guidance Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 Upper Brook Street 11 3 Former Elizabeth Gaskell Campus 51 4 Wilmott Street (Former Salvation Army) 70 5 Birchall Way 84 Appendix A Upper Brook Street Key Diagrams 98 Appendix B Former Elizabeth Gaskell Campus Key Diagrams 99 Appendix C Wilmott Street Key Diagrams 100 Appendix D Birchall Way Key Diagrams 101 Appendix E Development Plan Policy Summary 102 Appendix F Planning History and Listing Buildings 119 3 Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Regeneration Framework Guidance 1 Introduction 1.1 Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Vision to 2025 The Oxford Road Corridor covers an area of 243-hectares running south from St Peter’s Square, where it overlaps with the core of Manchester’s Central Business District, to Whitworth Park along Oxford Road. The Oxford Road Corridor is home to an exceptional group of knowledge intensive organisations and businesses; 74,445 students1 and a workforce of over 71,700 within one of Europe’s fastest growing cities. The area has an internationally significant combination of public and private sector partners committed to bringing forward new investment in academic excellence, research and commercialisation of the opportunities that generates. The presence and substantial investment programmes of major institutions including Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met), University of Manchester (UoM), Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) combined with investment in new research, incubation, science park facilities, important civic buildings, public space and cultural facilities have already established this area as a special place. The area is a key driver of, and further opportunity for, accelerated high value added economic growth in the knowledge economy and therefore enhanced productivity for the City Region. It provides an estimated contribution of £3 billion GVA per annum, consistently accounting for 20% of Manchester’s economic output over the last 5 years2. Figure 1.1: Oxford Road Corridor Key Metrics 1 Source: HESA 2016/17 Academic Year, figures for UoM, Manchester Met and RNCM 2 Corridor Partnership: Corridor Strategic Vision to 2025 4 Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Regeneration Framework Guidance The area’s focus on high value added and high growth sectors means that it accounts for a large proportion of highly skilled jobs within the city centre. Key strengths in areas such as health, advanced materials and higher education are complemented by a strong business and professional services base. In 2007, the Corridor Partnership was established in order to help facilitate new public and private sector investment to generate further economic growth in the knowledge economy. The current vision and plan for the area is set out in the Oxford Road Corridor’s Strategic Vision to 2025, which is for the area to be: “Manchester’s cosmopolitan hub and world-class innovation district, where talented people from the city and across the world learn, create, work, socialise, live and do business; contributing to the economic and social dynamism of one of Europe’s leading cities.” The document highlights the need to continue to support the major institutional partners and their investment programmes. In addition, it highlights the need to support the growth of high value added and high growth companies in the private sector, which has the scope to be realised on a significant scale within the Oxford Road Corridor. Committed and planned investment in Oxford Road Corridor will further re- inforce its status as one of the most distinctive and remarkable districts in Europe. Between 2015 and 2025, committed and planned investment of the major institutions alone is estimated at £2.6 billion. Given the important economic advantages and agglomeration opportunities associated with the Oxford Road Corridor, the Partners recognise that it is essential that the finite resources of developable land available are fully utilised including through achieving an appropriate hierarchy of land uses and increased density of development, whilst ensuring that the urban environment remains attractive and sustainable. The importance of this is clearly demonstrated through, for example, the metrics associated with the Circle Square SRF and Masterplan; a recent Ekosgen report3 highlights that the more than 1 million sq. ft. of commercial floorspace will accommodate 8,827 FTE jobs in priority sectors such as professional and business services, digital and creative, and health and higher education, as well as retail. A large proportion of these will be Level 4 and 5, higher paid and skilled; there will also be a range of occupations and opportunities at all levels. Overall, it is anticipated that Circle Square will make an exceptional contribution to Manchester’s economy; when fully developed, companies here could generate more than £0.5bn of GVA per annum4. As well as the direct economic impact, expenditure in the local supply chain and staff at Circle Square will increase that economic impact by a further 50%5. Similar outcomes could be achieved on other transformational sites within the Oxford Road Corridor, for example through expansion and densification 3 Circle Square, Ekosgen, 2018 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 5 Oxford Road Corridor Strategic Regeneration Framework Guidance of commercial accommodation it is envisaged that MSP (which is subject to a refreshed SRF being brought forward alongside this SRFG) could deliver an additional 5,700 FE jobs over the next 10 years; similarly, Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0, are anticipated to deliver 660 FTE jobs. The likelihood is that, over the next 10 years, space to grow is likely to become more and more of a significant challenge. This could not only limit the future growth potential of the Oxford Road Corridor Institutions and their drive for excellence, but also the scope for the City to attract new added value businesses and continue the significant employment and economic contribution that it makes to Manchester and the City Region. This includes start-ups, established local, regional and international businesses, support services such as legal and finance, private healthcare, science partnerships and other businesses attracted by the potential to cluster around the Oxford Road Corridor’s key institutions. Table 1.1 illustrates the significant quantum of office, commercialisation and education floorspace that has been delivered within the Oxford Road Corridor in recent years, and the amount that is under construction. It focuses on office, commercialisation end education development; however, in addition there has also been substantial investment and delivery by the Oxford Road Corridor Institutions of cultural, hotel, retail and leisure uses, as well as infrastructure (as more fully described in the SSF). Table 1.1 clearly demonstrates the on-going and growing demand from occupiers wishing to locate in the Oxford Road Corridor and the finite supply of land available to fuel this growth beyond the next 10 years. Whilst there is future growth space available within endorsed SRF areas, this is anticipated to be delivered within the next 10 years based on recent delivery, schemes under construction, the acceleration in delivery over the last few years, and the further stimulus provided by commercialisation of graphene and the creation of consolidated campuses.