Fred Done partners with Homezzz in New Cross

Fred Done’s property development business Salboy has formed a joint venture with Homezzz to convert former serviced offices on New Mount Street in Manchester’s New Cross into 66 apartments.

The site near Angel Meadows was purchased by the Parklane Group, co-owner of the Homezzz brand, for its first development in Manchester. The grade-two listed Co-operative Printing Society buildings on the site date back to the 1870s, and were previously used for 50,000 sq ft of serviced offices, although tenants have since moved out of the building.

The proposals feature 66 homes and include a restoration and re-use of the original entrance to the site on School Street, together with the creation of an “internal street” with a glazed atrium, which follows the line of the original Back New Mount Street.

The main building six-storey will feature the bulk of the apartments, primarily two-beds, while a rooftop extension to a section built in the 1920s will feature a number of duplex units.

Following backing from Salboy, construction is due to start early in the New Year. A planning application was submitted for the scheme in August.

Fred Done, founder of Betfred and co-owner of Salboy Ltd, said: “I am extremely proud to be involved in this fantastic project. Being a local person, nothing pleases me more than seeing our historic buildings come back to life, indeed, it was one of the reasons we wanted to be involved in this development. We’re delighted to be working alongside Homezzz to deliver what I believe will be a truly exceptional scheme.”

Javed Saddique director at Homezzz added: “Our team has developed detailed plans to transform this six-story building into a modern and stylish space, which will help to address the housing needs of a growing and successful city. We’ve worked alongside leading architects to develop what we believe will be a fantastic addition to the Manchester property scene and we look forward to progressing with construction works early in 2019.

“Units are already generating a lot of interest, and we’re confident this will prove to be a highly desirable location.”

The professional team on the project includes Axis Architecture, CBRE as planner, Hydrock, and Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture. The construction management plan has been prepared by Colbre Projects.

The site previously secured planning consent for an office-to-residential conversion to 59 apartments in June last year but these plans were never progressed.

These were submitted on behalf of London-based developer Capital New Mount.