Vita submits plans for Manchester House of Social
The developer wants to build a 14-storey building comprising 576 student beds at First Street.
Vita Group’s House of Social student brand aims to provide purpose-built accommodation for university-goers of the same standard as modern build-to-rent developments.
The project is being developed in response to a growing demand for PBSA in Manchester city centre.
Research by Cushman & Wakefield indicates a lack of PBSA development is forcing students into HMOs in areas like Fallowfield and Rusholme, putting pressure on the city’s housing supply.
Over the last 10 years, Manchester has delivered the second-fewest PBSA beds of any major market “and the lowest net increase in beds of any major markets”, according to the research.
As well as space for almost 600 students across 100 cluster apartments, Vita’s scheme also features a 14,000 sq ft food hall on the ground floor. The food hall will feature a central bar and five independent kitchens.
Max Bielby, chief operating officer at Vita Group, said: “We’re delighted to bring forward these exciting new plans for our new student brand House of Social, adding to the First Street masterplan and complementing our neighbouring Vita Student offering.
“House of Social is the student house re-imagined, bringing students together at the most important time in their life and giving them the opportunity to make life-long friends whilst excelling in their studies.”
Designed by Tim Groom Architects – with Deloitte advising on planning – House of Social is being progressed alongside Ask Real Estate’s plans for a 300,000 sq ft net zero office on an adjacent plot.
Plans for that project were submitted in January.
To learn more about House of Social, search for reference number 136170/FO/2023 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
Credit: via planning documents
If Manchester has delivered the second fewest PBSA beds, then other student towns must be absolutely swimming in PBSA.
And “forcing students into HMOs in areas like Fallowfield and Rusholme” is an interesting turn of phrase given that these have been student-dominated areas for at least two, probably three decades? I get that the idea is to free up these areas for non-students, but it’s hardly a new phenomenon for students to be living in Fallowfield.
By Salfordian
Looks fantastic (by contrast, it looks too good to be sat among the First Street buildings, but against the existing mills and brick building stock adjacent it goes together beautifully). More Tim Groom projects for the city, more tall buildings by TGA in the city – this is the lofty aspirations the city should be reaching for.
By Anonymous
Tim Groom’s architecture reaches the parts other architects can’t reach.
By SW
“House of Social is the student house re-imagined, bringing students together at the most important time in their life and giving them the opportunity to make life-long friends whilst excelling in their studies.”
So a hall of residence then?
By the light of the moon
If only those flats had access to the roof terrace there
By Balcony Warrior
Fallowfield has gone downhill fast in just 10 years
By DH
Architects: what’s stopping you from being more like Tim Groom?
By Anonymous
Looks a great design but as ever, hopefully it isn’t too expensive!
By Ben S
That’s more like it Manchester 🙂
By Anonymous
Students: make sure you get a room on the east side of the building, ‘cos you ain’t gonna get much daylight on the west side.
By Anonymous
Actually looks good, especially if they keep the quality they are promising. What about that 55 story Student tower nearby though. I thought that had planning permission now so I presume that will add significantly to PBSA in the city.
By Anonymous
Completely agree with @Salfordian. Students want to live places that are 1) cheap to rent 2) cheap to go out, and 3) within walking and cycling distance of campus. Fallowfield and Rusholme fit all three criteria, whereas PBSH only hits 1 out of 3. Students aren’t being “forced” anywhere, and building more PBSH won’t change that.
By W
House of social what? Is it social housing?
By Anonymous
The Groomeister.
Personally I would like Tim Groom Architects to build more city centre apartments. They just seem to blend in a lot more than some of the cladded designs.
By MrP
When are we building social housing?
By B
These will be for overseas students mostly I should imagine
By Danno
I think there are some very old fashioned ideas about what students want on here. This isn’t the 1980,s and what students want now is very different. Many of the Students that are being targeted and particularly the huge number of foreign students in Manchester expect an awful lot more and have significant disposable income. The days of Rik Mayall and The Young Ones have long gone. The University and the developers know exactly who they are targeting.
By Anonymous
That’s a big block! Very monumental! Previous Tim Groom’s designs looked good in planning but then looked shoddy & nothing like the visuals when built (current Oldham Road one for example). Hope this one doesn’t share the same fate.
By Sceptic
Manchester needs more architects like Tim Groom.
By John