Manchester city pod equals affordable housing

Manchester Pod Artist ImpressionIf you are a first time buyer looking to get on the property ladder but the prospect of Kingston upon hull in East Yorkshire with some of the UK’s cheapest housing on offer at an average price of ₤79,500 doesn’t float your boat, there is an alternative. With the UK government facing a shortfall in new homes year on year and an increasing trend of single owner occupiers, the demand for affordable housing continues unabated.

In response to market needs Manchester-based developer Abito have successfully rolled out their city pod concept offering first time city buyers affordable, modern apartments in prime city locations. With the first Manchester city centre project due to complete in July 2006, in just 3 months over 150 of its 347 square foot “intelligent-living” units sold when it launched in November 2004 with a starting price of under ₤90,000. Sketch of unit

There are 256 one bedroom flats over 7 floors, each equipped with fold-away bed and a central pod containing a bathroom with shower, a utility space for washer/dryer and a kitchen to enable a ‘clutter-free lifestyle’. Featuring private balconies, 10-foot ceilings, and one floor-to-ceiling window “to allow maximum use of light.” It has also recently launched 292 waterfront apartments in Salford Quays and 2 sites have been identified in Liverpool and Nottingham. cgi of cityscape

This compact living concept has also been successful in Leeds where the Citispace Group are using off-site modular housing construction to create 285 cost-effective, functionable apartments. Within walking distance to the city centre and with prices around ₤98,950 for a 336 sq foot 1 bedroom apartment, the first rung of the ladder doesn’t seem quite so far away.





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Sudoku Solver said,

April 22, 2006 @ 4:07 am

nice!…

love the blog!

[…] If you’re not a football enthusiast you may have caught Location Location Location’s Kirstie and Phil’s Where Best to Invest (in the UK) on Channel Four last night. With property prices in the UK still on the rise albeit a bit slower than previously, you may benefit from a quick run down of last night’s top ten with a classic Nubricks.com new development twist. 10 – Manchester – Once a city in decline, Manchester has reversed its fortunes and is now portrayed as probably the most happening city in the North. Docklands style regeneration of areas such as Canal Street and Salford Quays as well as large scale city redevelopment projects in line with the XVII Manchester Commonwealth Games held in 2002.  9 – Leeds – Again city centre refurbishment on a massive scale has lead to the lonely planet guide referring to Leeds as the Knightsbridge of the North. Kirstie and Phil note that whilst Leeds has had £2.5 billion invested in property development with a further £4.9 billion of projects under way, this may be a cause for a concern with potential oversupply. 8- Bristol – Noted as being one of the UK’s major centres for financial services, which employ around 40,000 people in the city, the city has plans for ₤152 million of cultural infrstrucure ie Museums, Concert venues etc for 2008. Kirtsy and Phil tip Bedminister as an up and coming area with developments such as Barratt Homes Malago Place and the eagerly awaited Airpoint development which took 100 off plan reservations during its launch weekend on April 22nd. Prices start at ₤115,000 and the first apartments are set to complete Spring 2007. 7– Belfast – Purported to be the 2nd most popular city in the UK for short breaks, Belfast is now experiencing extensive redevelopment as a result of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Victoria Square is currently the site for a huge retail development and Titanic Quarter is a massive mixed-use regeneration project. Phase 1 has been given the green light and work is set to start next month on the Queen’s Island site. The project expects to employ over 20,000 people over the next 15 years and is one of the largest waterfront developments in Europe costing over ₤1.5bn. Commercial and Residential schemes are set to launch immiently with Abercorn Basin apartments taking registration now.    6 – Reading – Along the M4 high technology corridor, and having just been promoted to the premiership, Reading is starting to make a name for itself. Major firms like Vodafone, Oracle and Microsoft are bringing affluent young IT professionals to the city. The waterfront Oracle shopping complex has transformed the centre and continued investment is still attracting young buyers to the area. 5 – Southampton – With its rich maritime history the city’s seafront used to be the main artery of the city. 1 in 10 of the student population is based in Southampton and a huge student demographic creates a strong demand for rental property. Major schemes such as Ocean Village, a mixed use waterfront development has spawned a number of new property development areas such as West Quay 3 and Northern Above Bar. 4 – Brighton – Presented by the media as a young hip city, this is understandable as it has only recently been granted city status. A seaside resort, it is an easy commute to London. The city has some of the best property investor demographics with plenty of students and a large gay community with DINKY (double income no kids yet) couples enjoying high disposable incomes creating affluent areas. 3 – Edinburgh – Having visited Edinburgh myself I can testify to the fact that the city has much appeal. A historic setting, the city is well known for its public events such as Hogmanay and the Edinburgh festival. Low unemployment is a result of it being the 5th largest financial centre in Europe and home to the Scottish Parliament which has meant many professionals have been lured into the city. Another strong student population supports a wide and varied nightlife. As a result there are many ‘aspirational’ new developments being marketed to popular demand. Professionals should check out Western Harbour whilst newly launched Newington Grange is the perfect country/city pad.  2 – Cambridge – Usually on most tourists ‘to visit’ list, this city is on the rise being touted as the UK’s silicon valley with a range of high tech start ups making it home. Again London commuters and a more salubrious set of students are the mainstay of the property rental market here. The most noteworthy project currently taking place is CB1 which is a redevelopment of the Cambridge Station Road area and will include hotels, bars and restaurants as well as a central transport node. There are plans to turn the nearby Spiller Flour Mill near the rail station into a historical resource and cultural centre.  1 – Oxford – Topping Kirstie and Phil’s list of Where Best to Invest, Oxford is one of the UK’s best known cities having educated no fewer than 25 British prime ministers. It too has a growing high tech industry making their base in Oxford’s many science and business parks. However the city is best known for its housing some 40,000 of the best student minds in the country. Add into the mix a growing market of young families making Oxford their base and you have the perfect mix of potential property punters whether you have a buy-to-let or are buying to sell. Jericho is a particularly trendy part of town offering a good mix of lively bars and restaurants which has lead to the area attracting those new build development eyes. Oxford Waterfront will be a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments – all the townhouses from Berkley Homes first phase, Jericho Landing have sold out. There are even plans to create a whole new city quarter, Oxford West End, a perfect base for prime real estate. […]

Al Mack said,

May 30, 2006 @ 11:48 pm

A great looking development - similar to the Moho scheme in Manchester. Shame they don’t have two bedroom apartments - Manchester is crying out for more!

Marvin Herron said,

June 28, 2006 @ 12:16 pm

Im lucky enough to have purchased one of these babies. me and me girlfreind are due to be moving in in the new year. They are small yes, but what else can you get at this price. Lots of good features, smart balcony and super fiitings with video entrance intercom, remote control lighting and heating, siemans technology appliences with a stunning view of the city centre looking toward the printworks , harvey nicholls and selfridges.

If any one else have got one of these beauties then get intouch.

Phil said,

July 20, 2006 @ 5:34 pm

I bought an abito off plan last year - 5th floor. It looks like the area is going to be booming in a few years. Its good to be in at the start. Ideal for town!

marvin herron said,

August 18, 2006 @ 8:21 pm

hey phil, yeah i did too, on the second floor 20? hope the people who be livin their mix a bit and aint up themselves. be cool to just mix a bit with the residents. im traveling to manchester from liverpool everyday to work and seriously it takes over an hour each way at the minimum, now its just a 7 minute drive (im sad, ive already timed the run). have you seen it of late, its shocking how fast they are going up. im going to the open day on sep 17th are you goin?

Phil said,

September 28, 2006 @ 3:21 pm

Missedthat one as was away working. The project is now scheduled to be complted in Feb 2007. Had thought of selling up to profit - but having seen the plans for the future scene of the whole area - I think I will keep hold! Have you looked on skyscrapercity.com? Look under the Manchester and Salford section - then Greengate, etc, and I think Abito has a separate thread of its own.

Marvin Herron said,

October 12, 2006 @ 9:31 am

yeah ive looked it takes so long to load, just for your information if you got sky , channelm (manchesters own tv station) have done a full half hour docu on the apartment on Homesearch and is being repeated till 15th October. channel 203 on sky. App the bbc have been in to film it. With regards to selling up, i seen the apartment in city life on the 2nd floor being sold for £110k so its already made a profit of £17k but i think you would be better off as you say to hold back for acouple of years or so when the area has been more developed.

Phil said,

October 13, 2006 @ 4:00 pm

Excellent. Thanks for the info. It is good to see it getting some exposure. The masterplan for the whole Exchange/Greengate area is looking promising. Have yu been inside the built up model yet? And if so, is it impressive? Although my initial concerns were over space and storage, as city dwellers, it may not be such an issue if most of their time is spent in town eating and working anyway.

Stevo said,

June 13, 2007 @ 9:22 am

Hi, interesting blog… ive purchased an Abito at Salford Quays. i’m from Devon but am so impressed witht eh way Manchester is looking wanted a piece of the action too. Salford quays abito is apperently not ready until July 08 (no doubt even later) has anybody else purchased here? b e great tp natter. cheers

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