With the recent Manchester Festival a success and the city smartening up at a rapid rate, the M postcodes are very much sought-after by clued-in buyers. Amanda Shiel takes a look at some truly unique developments currently on offer in Manchester
Salford
City Lofts’ Salford Quays offers 203 one- and two-bedroom apartments set in two landmark buildings of 19 and 9 storeys alongside the Salford Quayside. The development benefits from an exceptional level of both exterior and interior design which has been undertaken by Conran & Partners.
The majority of apartments have south or west facing living rooms, with balconies to most of those with dockside elevations and, elsewhere, floor to ceiling windows. The specification throughout is of an extremely high standard, featuring Conran designed kitchens and bathroom furniture, granite worktops, walnut framed glazed screens, Villeroy and Boch and Arne Jacobson fittings, travertine tiling, veneered hardwood and carpeted flooring. The development also has concierge service.
It is situated close to the Lowry Complex, offering a selection of shops, restaurants and bars. The striking architecture of The Imperial War Museum North is within walking distance, as are a number of other cultural attractions. Old Trafford and the venue for England cricket Test Matches and home of Lancashire County Cricket Club is just moments away.
Manchester City Centre and Manchester Piccadilly Station are just 15 minutes away on the Manchester Metrolink. The M6 is within 3 miles, providing connections to the UK motorway network. Manchester Airport offers direct flights to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the U.S and is just 11 miles away.
City Lofts Salford Quays currently has prices from £161,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and £233,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. For those looking for rental property, Vivacity, property management arm of City Lofts, launched a collection of rental properties at the scheme on 12 July.
For further details visit vivacity.co.uk.
Didsbury Point
Countryside Properties PLC and Liberty Property Trust have completed iCO 1, the first office phase at iCO Business Community in Didsbury Point.
iCO 1 provides 5122sq m net accommodation on 4 floors together with 176 car parking spaces fronting Princess Road, the main route between Manchester City Centre and Manchester Airport.
iCO Business Community is part of the wider redevelopment of the 32 acre former Withington Hospital site, where, in addition to the commercial element, Countryside Properties have already developed some 375 contemporary homes together with a new urban park. The Business Community has planning consent for some 22100sq m (238,125 sq ft) net of office accommodation together with The Point, a new mixed-use amenity centre providing on-site retail and restaurant facilities.
iCO Business Community is being marketed by joint agents Edwards & Company and Jones Lang LaSalle who are offering a wide range of freehold and leasehold options on iCO 1 and the other phases which will also include smaller freehold self contained office buildings. The quoting rent at iCO 1 is £22 psf (£234 psm).
Irlam
The completed Persimmon Homes Living-i project consists of five unique and highly individual properties that have each been built using modern methods of construction and innovative techniques and technology.
Each house boasts exciting technological and energy efficient, eco-friendly features such as smart home technology, state-of-the-art security systems, energy efficient heating systems and water recycling. They have also been built using some of the most innovative techniques and materials including pre-constructed concrete units, structurally insulated panel roof systems, self cleaning glass and even sheepswool insulation.
Styles include two four-bedroom detached properties (the timber-framed Eco House and the steel-framed Techno House), two three-bedroom semi-detached homes (the Modular and Lifetime House), and the unique precision-engineered Space4 designed Energy House.
The homes are open from Thursday to Monday, between 10.30am and 5.30pm, until the end of 2007.
Persimmon Homes hopes to let some of the houses to tenants who can provide continual feedback on the performance of the houses. Using both qualitative and quantitative assessment, it will be possible to monitor practicality, ‘liveability’, and performance against a range of criteria such as heating efficiency, fuel bills and maintenance costs.
For more information visit living-i.co.uk.
City centre
Only two two-bedroom apartments remain at stylish Great Northern Tower, a landmark building offering everything the owner-occupier or landlord could ask for. The 257 luxury apartments include one- and two-bedrooms as well as roomy duplexes.
Fitted kitchens by Mirari include all the appliances you could need, while contemporary bathrooms have white sanitaryware by David Chipperfield and elegant touches. There is laminate flooring throughout.
The views are amazing and the central location means it’s only moments to transport, entertainment, leisure facilities and shopping. Central Manchester is an area that will continue to be popular, whatever the latest in-vogue location turns out to be. And of course Manchester University, the country’s largest single-site university, is easily reached from Great Northern Tower.
Visit greatnortherntower.co.uk for further information.
Salford
Dandara’s newest apartment scheme, Spectrum, is located in the Chapel Street regeneration area along Blackfriars Road. Prices start at £122,950 for a studio apartment, £135,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and £179,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. Dandara has launched a range of incentives to help buyers, including the allocation of a number of apartments to first-time-buyers and a ‘save-to-buy’ scheme. The developer will also broker a deal with a recommended solicitor to reduce the fees and costs. For further information on the development and on the incentives being offered at Spectrum, call the sales team on 0161 829 3040 or visit spectrum-manchester.com.