New East Manchester
Case Study
1.
Introduction
1.1
East Manchester is the focus of one of the largest, most challenging and
most exciting regeneration initiatives in the UK. The New East Manchester
Urban Regeneration Company has been established to lead the regeneration
process across this large segment of the city, totalling over 1200 hectares
and stretching from the fringe of the City Centre to the administrative
boundary of Manchester. The successful 2002 Commonwealth Games
staged in the area have provided a unique catalyst for regeneration,
development and improvement in economic and social conditions for
residents.
1.2
This paper:
sets East Manchester in its historical context

outlines current conditions, issues, problems and opportunities

described briefly the Regeneration Framework that has been developed
by NEM to provide a strategic context for the initiative

discusses progress to date against objectives and targets; and

outlines the future direction of, and priorities for, the initiative
2.
Context
2.1
East Manchester grew and developed in the nineteenth and early decades of
the twentieth century as a home for the traditional manufacturing industries –
coal, textiles, chemicals, steel, engineering – on which the wealth of the city
was founded, and as a home also for the large workforces required by these
industries. The area was severely affected by the recessions of the 1970s
and 1980s – 60% of its economic and employment base was lost between
1970 and 1985, with a consequential loss of employment, skills and
population and a decline in demand for housing in the area.
2.2
In the light of this macro economic impact, the strategy adopted in the
immediate aftermath of recession was to invest as far as possible in clearing
and improving post-industrial dereliction to create a more attractive
environment for private sector led investment in jobs, businesses and homes.
Notwithstanding some isolated successes, this strategy proved essential but
not sufficient to transform perceptions of, and prospects for the area, and its
decline has continued, albeit in less dramatic form, since 1985. For example,
the area’s population declined by a further 13% during the 1990s.
3.
Current Position
3.1
The East Manchester area is currently characterised by many of the socioeconomic conditions and problems of many other inner city areas in Britain’s
major cities. In addition to the economic decline and population loss
mentioned above, the area has the following key problems:-
3.2

a collapse in the housing market during the 1990s, particularly for older,
smaller pre-1919 terraced property. The current imbalance between
supply and demand has seen prices for this form of housing drop to below
£5000 in parts of the area, leaving many owner occupiers in severe
negative equity and a high proportion of void property. Coupled with this,
there is a lack of quality and choice in the market for private housing in
East Manchester, further exacerbating population loss

local authority housing, representing just under 50% of the housing stock
in the area, whilst suffers from relatively stable, very low demand and is in
need of major investment in modernisation and improvement.

decline in values has seen significant numbers of properties shift from
owner occupation to private-rented accommodation which is currently
unregulated. The activities of some absentee private landlords –
particularly the poor quality of management of their stock or their tenants
– has put further pressure on social conditions and effectively destabilised
local communities in parts of East Manchester

a low skills base within the local working age population. The shift in the
City’s economy from traditional manufacturing, requiring large number of
skills and semi-skilled workers, to a higher value added and service sector
economy, has severely restricted employment prospects for many
residents and has placed a premium on retraining and upskilling.

high crime rates, with burglary, juvenile nuisance and domestic violence
all substantially above the city average.

poor health with the incidence of lung cancer almost three times the UK
average, and heart and circulatory diseases more than twice the national
average.

high levels of unemployment and benefit dependency. Unemployment,
measured in terms of benefit claimants, is around 10%. “Worklessness”,
taking into account those in the working age population who are not
actively seeking work or claiming benefit, is much higher at over 20%.
52% of households are in receipt of state benefits in some form.

poor quality infrastructure and environment. Notwithstanding the
investment over two decades in environmental improvement, East
Manchester still has a disproportionate amount of ex-industrial land
requiring clearance, remediation and improvement, in addition, and
particularly in the older, more historic parts of the area developed around
its canals, mills and warehouses, a nineteenth-century infrastructure
needs modernisation and upgrading to be fit for purpose in the 21st
century, as do transport connections, particularly public transport.
These problems cannot be claimed to be unique to East Manchester, but are
replicated in most of Britain’s cities that developed as a result of the industrial
revolution. However, the scale and intensity of deprivation – across an area
several times the size of the city centre and with a resident population of over
30,000 - does distinguish East Manchester from many other areas of urban
deprivation.
3.3
Alongside the problems outlined above, a number of opportunities have
emerged over the last five years which collectively have created the
conditions and generated the momentum for a comprehensive and
sustainable regeneration of East Manchester. In particular:
the legacy of the Commonwealth Games – the investment of over £100
million into the development of world-class sports facilities in the heart of
the area, the thousands of jobs generated as a consequence, the millions
of visitors to the area in perpetuity, and the fundamental shift in image and
perception of the area, have had a catalytic effect on the prospects for the
economic and social improvement of East Manchester

the economic buoyancy and success of the City Centre of Manchester
has generated development pressures which can be extended into the
east of the city

the heritage of the area – in terms of its canals, historic buildings and
open spaces – is a positive force for regeneration and provides a unique
and distinctive character and ‘sense of place’ on which future
development and growth can be built

completion of the final East Manchester section of the M60 orbital
motorway, and Government’s more recent decision to support the
construction of future phases of the Metrolink LRT system (two of whose
lines will serve East Manchester) will radically improve the connectivity of
the area to the city centre, universities, Manchester’s international airport
and to wider markets

Government policy, recognising the importance of cities as the engines of
economic growth, and focussing investment and development within
urban core areas, has in itself generated a reappraisal of the potential of
East Manchester to contribute positively to regional and national
economic priorities, and stimulated a sea change in market perceptions of
the area.
3.14
The economic decline of East Manchester has generated a range of
economic and social problems, which have challenged the very basis of
community in many parts of the area. The economic resurgence which the
area will undergo in the next decade will be accompanied by a range of
measures to secure benefit – particularly employment – for all local people, to
enhance the social and economic base of the area by making East
Manchester an attractive, accessible and competitive area in which to live
and work, and to provide the range and quality of facilities which are
necessary to ensure its long-term viability.
4.
East Manchester Regeneration Framework
4.1
The East Manchester Regeneration Framework, prepared by NEM, and
launched in April 2001, sets out a long-term strategic context for the
economic, physical and social improvement of the area. The Framework is
consciously holistic in nature, addressing housing, economic development,
employment, education, transport, social and environmental issues in an
integrated manner. NEM and all the other agencies and initiatives involved in
East Manchester recognise that integrated action – tackling these issues
together, seeing and addressing the linkages between them – is a precondition of sustainable regeneration.
4.2
It is the sum of these parts, which is important in establishing the vision for
East Manchester. Fundamentally the objective is that East Manchester will
become once again an area of choice – to live, work, invest – rather than an
area of last resort; competitive with other parts of the city and conurbation;
and thereby reconnected with, and able to participate in, the economic and
social success of Manchester.
4.3
The creation of a dynamic economic base is fundamental to the successful
regeneration of the area. The economic base will generate employment for
residents and create the wealth necessary for sustained improvement.
4.4
The economic vision for East Manchester encompasses the provision of a
range of high quality employment opportunities, which will have a direct
impact upon reducing unemployment and economic inactivity amongst the
resident population. Whilst it is large enough as an area to accommodate a
wide variety of business uses – and, from the point of view of local
employment, important that it does – there will be a particular emphasis on
attracting businesses and jobs in those sectors of the economy with the
strongest potential for future growth – information and communications,
advance science and technology, creative and media industries. In spatial
terms, employment growth will be focussed on Central Park Manchester,
Openshaw Business Centre, the Ashton Canal Corridor and Ancoats Urban
Village.
4.5
The regeneration of the area will be built upon ensuring that local people
secure direct benefit from major investments through having the skills,
motivation and support, which will enable them to access the many
opportunities that the developing economy of East Manchester will provide.
The need for a skilled and adaptable pool of labour will also be key to the
attraction of new employers and new sectors making the matching of labour
supply and demand a key component of the strategy.
4.6
As fundamental to the strategic regeneration objectives for the area as
business and employment growth is complementary and integrated action to
improve the quality of life in neighbourhoods across the area. Residents
need to have confidence that individual betterment (through for example,
employment), will be matched by community betterment if the cycle of outmigration is to be reversed. The content of the Regeneration Framework –
directly addressing key issues for residents, such as education, crime, health
and community facilities, alongside spatial and economic planning –
reinforces the link between individual and community. Equally, the process
by which the Framework was developed, involving very extensive
consultation with local residents and stakeholders, was similarly intended to
give confidence to local people about prospects for improvement of their
community.
4.7
The Regeneration Framework also:-
4.7.1
establishes a set of development and design principles intended to ensure
that new development is well-designed, sustainable and appropriate to the
area, recognising the crucial importance of good design in regeneration
4.7.2
sets key headline targets for New East Manchester and its partners. These
include:
doubling the population of East Manchester from 30,000 to 60,000 over a
10-15 year period

construction of around 12,500 new homes

comprehensive improvement and modernisation of 7000 existing homes

development of a 160 hectare new business park – Central Park
Manchester – to provide opportunities for new business growth and
expansion

creation of over 10,000 new jobs in the area

completion of the Sportcity complex of world-class sporting facilities in the
heart of the area

a new commercial and retail centre for East Manchester at Sportcity

development of an integrated public transport system incorporating
Metrolink, heavy rail, bus and car transport, as well as pedestrian and
cycling provision

raising educational attainment in East Manchester schools above the city
average
5.
Progress to Date
5.1
From the point at which Manchester was awarded the 2002 Commonwealth
Games in 1995 and was thus actively able to pursue its regeneration strategy
for East Manchester, the area has been the focus for a wide range of special
Government initiatives – New Deal for Communities, Single Regeneration
Budget, Education Action Zone, Sports Action Zone, Sure Start etc., - which
have delivered investment targeted largely on improving the social conditions
and economic prospects of existing residents.
5.2
New East Manchester – one of the first three designated urban regeneration
companies in the country – was formally established in Autumn 1999 as a
partnership between Manchester City Council, North West Development
Agency, English Partnerships and local communities. Its key roles are to:
develop and implement – in partnership with others – the Regeneration
Framework for East Manchester

lead the major strategic physical regeneration of the area

coordinate, integrate and oversee the design and delivery of the range of
special initiatives mentioned earlier

secure public and private resources (around £2 billion in total) to deliver
the comprehensive, long-term programme

focus mainstream public services and funding (estimated at £150 million
per annum) more effectively on the need and aspirations of local residents
and stakeholders
5.3
The imminence of the Commonwealth Games – only 2 ½ years away at the
point at which NEM was established – provided a strong impetus for early
and concerted action to generate new jobs, businesses and homes in the
area, and provided early momentum for what remains a much longer-term
initiative.
5.4
Key achievements to date include:
completion of the Sportcity complex on budget and in time for last
summer’s Commonwealth Games. The current conversion of the City of
Manchester stadium into a football stadium will be completed in July 2003
when Manchester City F.C. take up occupation. This use of the stadium,
together with community use of the other facilities at Sportcity, has
generated thousands of jobs in construction and operation, and millions of
visits per annum to East Manchester in perpetuity

construction of a new 180,000 sq.ft. Asda-Walmart store (the first and
largest purpose-built Walmart store in Europe) prior to the Games as the
first phase of the new commercial centre for East Manchester

A £24 million investment programme in the Ashton Canal corridor to
provide a safe, attractive and accessible pedestrian route from the city
centre to Sportcity, and to open up the development potential of key sites
and buildings along the route. Three such developments are now at an
advanced planning stage, with all three expected to start on site later this
year.

Phase 1 of Central Park Manchester (92 acres) has been fully assembled
(through a Compulsory Purchase Order) and remediated, and a new road
system has been constructed to facilitate development. Agreements have
been concluded with Fujitsu UK to construct 150,000 sq.ft. of new office
space, and work will start on site in April this year. Funding and consents
have also been secured for a new transport interchange to serve the
business park, and work will start in Autumn 2003

Three major new residential schemes have been developed in
conjunction with private sector partners. The first of these started on site
last month (Countryside Properties at Sportcity) and the others (Urban
Splash at New Islington, Lovells and Gleesons in Beswick) will start on
site in May/June 2003. Taken together, these developments will yield
2500 – 3000 new homes against the long-term target of 12,500.

Funding has been secured for the build-out of the successful Metrolink
LRT system across the Greater Manchester conurbation. In terms of East
Manchester, two of the three new lines will serve Sportcity and Central
Park, crucially and substantially improving the opportunities to attract new
businesses, jobs and visitors to the area.

The transfer of local authority housing stock in Beswick, Openshaw and
Clayton (over 3000 homes) to a new public / private partnership, Eastland
Homes, will be completed by August 2003 following a ballot of tenants last
Autumn that was overwhelmingly in favour of the move. Eastlands
Homes will trigger a £80 million capital investment programme into the
comprehensive modernisation and improvement of the stock

Significant reductions in the level of crime with a consequent improvement
in residents’ perceptions of safety. There has been a 35% fall in episodes
of criminal damage and burglary and a 51% reduction in residents who
feel that the area is less safe than two years ago.

A comprehensive programme of social improvements that is improving
educational attainment and aspirations, ensuring greater access to
childcare provision and achieving some significant health improvements.
Primary school attainment performance is now above the city average
and has significantly closed the gap with the national average. Teenage
pregnancy rates have reduced by 66% over the last two years.

A range of high quality facilities are being developed across the area,
including a new primary school with community wing in Clayton, the
Grange Community Resource Centre in Beswick, and nine UK online ICT
learning centres across East Manchester. Significant improvements to
the environmental condition of the area have included major
refurbishment of five community parks, a large number of smaller
community gardens and the completion of the first phase improvements to
the historic Philips Park.

As a result of these improvements and as a legacy of the successful
hosting of the Commonwealth Games in the heart of East Manchester,
there has been a major improvement in not only the image of the area but
in the local communities perception and, as a result, housing turnover.
The percentage of residents dissatisfied in their area dropped from 43%
to 27% between 1999 and 2002.
6.
Future Direction and Priorities
6.1
As can be seen from the above, substantial progress has been made over
the last 2-3 years. 2003 is a particularly significant and important one for
East Manchester, as two years’ preparation, planning and development will
become visible in new construction on a range of sites across the area.
Nevertheless, it remains the case that several decades of economic decline
and its consequences cannot be arrested and reversed in the space of two
years. The regeneration of East Manchester is a long-term task, with many
major issues and challenges still to be tackled. This will require the continuing
and sustained commitment of New East Manchester’s funding partners.
6.2
Key future priorities for East Manchester include:
the development of neighbourhood plans for the fourteen discrete
residential communities in the area. The intention is to maximise resident
participation in the preparation of detailed and comprehensive
regeneration plans for local communities, in conjunction with NEM and
private sector partners. Plans are currently being prepared in six
neighbourhoods, with a further three scheduled to commence this year

in conjunction with neighbourhood planning, the Housing Market Renewal
Fund announced by Government last year offers the prospect for the first
time of effective measures and adequate resources to tackle the problems
of market failure for older terraced property in East Manchester. Plans for
appropriate neigbourhoods in the area will use HMRF as one of a range
of investment streams to bring supply and demand for existing stock into
balance by programmes of demolition, refurbishment of retained stock,
and new housing construction to extend quality and choice. Two initial
neighbourhoods will be brought forward for HMRF in 2003.

The reconstruction of the area’s economy is crucial and investment in jobs
and business will remain a major priority. Nothwithstanding difficult
market conditions, the commitment of Fujitsu to Central Park, together
with the other developments there and elsewhere in East Manchester
(Ashton Canal corridor, Openshaw Business Centre) provide a strong and
competitive base to attract new inward investment

The effective integration of the wide range of special area-based
initiatives with the major programme of physical change remains a major
priority. Whilst there is widespread understanding amongst project and
programme managers locally that they succeed or fail together, there are
strong centrifugal forces – different staff, management arrangements,
accountabilities, geographical areas, timespans, objectives, targets etc.,
which can militate against integration. There is a clear requirement to
ensure that these issues are overcome if the “added value” of these
initiatives is to be fully realised and, in particular, if the essential objective
of linking investment and development with local economic benefit is to be
realised.
7.
Summary
7.1
The regeneration of an area of the size and complexity of East Manchester
remains a long-term project, and one which requires the sustained
commitment of NEM’s stakeholders as well as the growing range of private
sector partners that are participating in its renaissance. The stimulus of the
Commonwealth Games has generated a strong and positive momentum for
change, however, which will be realised by a range of new developments
providing improved jobs and homes in 2003 and the years to come. The key
challenges now are to sustain this momentum and to secure its benefits for
the current and future residents of the area.