A former leisure centre in south Manchester could soon be turned into dozens of affordable homes for older people.
Manchester city council's executive committee will this week be asked to approve the transfer of the the site of the former Chorlton Leisure Centre to housing provider Mosscare St Vincents on a 999-year lease.
Proposals for the site on Cavendish Terrace - subject to planning consent - would include demolishing the existing building to create 50 affordable apartments. These would be used to house those 55 years old and over and include a mix of 40 affordable rent homes and seven for shared ownership.
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Three more would be used by the council’s Adult Social Care team for neighbourhood apartments for people well enough to be discharged from hospital but who still need some care.
Coun Gavin White, Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said: “We have had ambitions to bring affordable housing to this site in Chorlton for some years and so it’s a real milestone moment that we can approve the transfer of the site to MSV to then begin a public consultation for affordable housing in this key location.
“MSV have a tested record of delivering brilliant, high quality and highly sustainable homes for older people – most recently at Bowes House in Moss Side. This development will create housing options for older people who may want to move from larger family homes – or ‘rightsizing’ - which will in turn open up these larger homes for other families to settle.
“The Council could have had received a higher value return if we decided to sell this site to a private developer on the open market, but we have made a commitment to increasing the number of affordable homes for Manchester people, particularly in areas like Chorlton where we have an opportunity to create more diversity in the housing market.”
Charlie Norman, CEO for MSV, added: "It's fantastic news that the land transfer to MSV is underway and I'd like to thank our partners at Manchester City Council for their support. This is exactly the kind of investment we need in Manchester - 50 Later Living apartments for affordable rent, shared ownership and for people coming out of hospital and back into the community.
“The development is aimed at people in Chorlton and the local area and will play a significant part in freeing up larger family homes to those on the waiting list. We plan to deliver a beautiful, bright and modern scheme with lots of light and space to provide residents with a home suitable for their time in life. It's very exciting to see this project get off the ground."
The site is expected to transfer formally to MSV in the summer of 2023. Public consultation will be held around the proposals for the site in the coming weeks.
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