Affordable, new-build, high quality, and sustainable homes are hard come-by in the social rent sector.

Manchester City Council’s development at Silk Street, Newton Heath, addresses this issue head-on, raising wellbeing and choice through the provision of effective and efficient housing.

Setting a new standard

Constructed by Rowlinson, the development features 69 zero and very low carbon homes packing a huge punch in terms of offering new build, high quality, affordable and sustainable housing within the social rent sector.

With a phased delivery of houses and apartments, the scheme has unlocked both surplus public sector land and a former brownfield site, re-connecting the local district centre community directly back to the canal and surrounding area.

The intentional housing mix of apartments, later living and family houses, helps to establish a community within the context of both the development and the wider neighbourhood.

“It is an impressive development, setting a very high standard for new social housing…”

Bird’s eye view

Sustainable solutions

A specific schedule of low carbon initiatives, over and above regulatory requirements, resulted in a build that pushes the boundary of responsible and resilient social housing.

These include:

• A fabric first approach with low air leakage rates.
• Highly efficient construction materials with energy saving measures incorporated into the design in the form of lighting, power, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.
• Ground source heat pumps supplied from an ambient heat loop helping to both lower the wider carbon footprint and tenants’ utility costs.
• Sustainable drainage to collect all run-off from roofs, car parks and hard landscaped areas.
• Modern methods of construction via an innovative lightweight steel building frame.
• A fully electric site with no gas supply to any of the properties.
• Solar panels for the houses.
• Living walls and green roofs, outwardly reinforcing the green aesthetic.
• Integrated bird and bat boxes on the gables of the apartment blocks.

Wider impact

Aside from the creation of the homes, one of the far-reaching benefits of the development is the opening up of the conversation around housing resilience and quality.

It sets out what sustainable social housing can, and should, look like helping others see the art of the possible for communities elsewhere.

Stakeholder interest was keen throughout the build with many parties interested in learning the lessons and understanding how it may be applied in other settings and communities.

Furthermore, through a supported rightsizing approach, an additional 37 larger homes within the community have been freed up bringing even more housing availability forward in the area.

Commenting on the development’s completion, David Chilton, managing director, Rowlinson said: “These homes meet the needs of residents across the board with low emissions, a range of sizes, later living options, and more…

“It is an impressive development, setting a very high standard for new social housing and one that we are proud to have delivered for the community.”

Key facts

The phased delivery has resulted in the construction of 48 apartments completed in October 2023, which followed on from 21 family houses at the site earlier in the year.

• Client: Manchester City Council
• Construction: Rowlinson
• Architect: Modern City Architecture & Urbanism (MCAU)
• Energy advisor – Energy Counsel
• Site: 0.72 hectare SPSL and former brownfield site
• 17 two-storey, three-bedroom houses
• 4 three-storey, four-bedroom houses
• 36 one-bedroom apartments
• 12 two-bedroom apartments
• 16 apartments were made available to over 55s
• Tenure: affordable social rent
• Occupancy: 100% occupied
• Funders: Homes England, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, MCC

Canal-side living