re:shape is proposing a multi-use development compromising of approximately 413 co-living studies, 20% provided as discount market rent, a new pedestrian link to the riverwalk, widening of the river walkway adjacent to the site and other improvements to public spaces.
The site is located on Worrall Street, Salford, on the banks of the River Irwell. The land is part of the ‘Ordsall Waterfront’ district as designated in Salford City Council’s Local Plan.
Yes, re:shape operate one of the largest second generation co-living developments in the UK, Wembley Ark (300 homes), which is now accompanied by Canary Wharf Ark (706 homes).
Wembley Ark sets a new standard for co-living and is centred around an inclusive brand identity, which seeks to ensure members and local communities always feel at home and part of the wider community.
Wembley ARK was acquired and repositioned in September 2021. The reposition works included, redesigning the rooms into a more mature homely spaces, converting underutilised back of house space to amenity and building a state-of-the-art roof top pavilion with a member lounge spaces, a master chef style shared kitchen and garden that offers an all-year-round penthouse living experience and space for all.
You can read more about the Wembley Ark and their future projects here.
Co-living is community-centric housing that seeks to maximise the opportunities for human connection and create a sense of community and belonging for all our residents.
With all bills included, residents can lead a more convenient and stress-free life.
re:shape are a leading operational co-living developer, offering homely private living spaces and beautifully designed communal spaces to work, relax and socialise. re:shape was created to deliver an enhanced co-living experience for people who struggle to find homes on average salaries and want best-in-class technology and a bespoke curated customer experience.
re:shape already operate one of the largest next generation co-living developments in the UK, Wembley Ark, a model which Worrall Street, Salford, will seek to mirror.
The site is ideally located adjacent to the River Irwell within Ordsall, Salford. Bordered by Ordsall Lane to the north and the river to the south, this patch of land has a lot of potential to become the heart of an up-and-coming district of the city.
It is near St. George’s Island, with pedestrian links into central Manchester via Deansgate. There are also numerous bus routes and Cornbrook Metrolink Station connects with Manchester city centre and MediaCityUK. The site is also within walking distance of Salford Quays, MediaCityUK and Old Trafford.
The site sits within a cluster of residential schemes situated along the River Irwell, which have already either been completed or received planning consent. Massing generally sits between seven to nine storeys with some taller buildings fronting the river, where there is an opportunity to increase height without affecting low-rise residential houses to the north.
The site is located within the Ordsall ‘Regent Road Quarter’, as shown in the Ordsall Riverside planning guidance published by Salford City Council. It is also located in a former ‘masterplan’ for the area that was prepared in 2007 by the council to explore the opportunities for this part of the city.
Worrall Street’s historical context plays an integral role in the design evolution of the proposed scheme, which seeks to embed itself as a key part of the Ordsall Riverside area.
Worrall Street has a rich industrial heritage. Until the 1960s, it was the location of the Ordsall Dyeworks, due to its access to the river, and specialised in velvet material. At its peak, the Dyeworks employed around 3,000 workers. The name ‘Worrall’ is synonymous with this industrial heritage, as a nod to J & J. M. Worrall Ltd who ran owned the former Ordsall Dyeworks. Worrall’s closed in 1964 and since then, the site has been, and remained, under-utilised and under-purposed.
In 2008, Worrall Street and the surrounding Ordsall Riverside district were designated a site of strategic importance for Salford’s economic and housing provision. It is now a core part of the new residential area being developed along the riverfront.
The standard Type A rooms will have a 24 sq m floor plans, whilst the larger smaller Type B rooms will have a floor plan of 21 sq m. The Accessible Type C rooms will have a floor space of 28 sq m. The main bulk of the rooms will be the Type B rooms, which aligns with the neighbouring 14 Worrall Street scheme.
The Worrall Street proposal is for 413 co-living homes in total over the seventeen floors.
Each home will have:
- Double bed space with a bedside cabinet
- Television
- Desk space for home working or studying
- Private shower room
- Built-in wardrove
- Kitchenette with cooking and washing up facilities
- Stylish high-quality interior finishes
- Seating area
- Dining area
On floors two to nine (35 homes per floor), the majority of those being Type A rooms or Type B rooms and a shared access storage area. Additionally, there will be three Type C accessible rooms on each floor with 28 sq m floor space.
On the 10th floor, there will be 10 homes available. These will mainly be Type B rooms, with two Type A and one Type C.
From floors 11 to 16, there will be 16 homes available per floor. The majority of those will be Type B rooms with two Type A and two Type C rooms on each floor.
On the 17th floor, there will be 6 Type B rooms and one Type A room.
In total, the proposal consists of 214 Type A rooms, 152 Type B rooms and 47 Type C rooms.
Yes, as part of our commitment to community building and being a positive partner of the city, we will have a policy-compliant level of affordable housing with 20% of all units available provided at a 20% discount market rent.
We are also looking to work with a refugee charity to help provide safe accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers/care leavers.
These homes will be targeted at young professionals who work in Salford or in Manchester city centre. The flexible and short-term aspect of a tenancy is perfectly suited for workers in Greater Manchester’s technology sector or key workers. However, it is not limited to these employment areas.
People are occupying co-living developments as they want:
- Flexible length of lease
- Low rents
- To live in central locations
- All-inclusive housing and utilities bills
- High quality amenities
- Somewhere to work
- A ready-made community
However, while it typically appeals to young professionals who may be moving towards living in self-contained accommodation or future home ownership, co-living is also well suited to those in later stages of living, key workers, new arrivals to a city and companies seeking flexible accommodation for their workforce.
Co-living accommodation differs from conventional permanent dwellings, such as house shares and Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) by virtue of its layout, management, and function.
In many traditional HMOs, housing standards can be poor, in contrast to co-living, which aspires to provide occupants with generous and high-quality living spaces. Co-living is designed to improve the quality of life for city-dwellers from different demographics and backgrounds. While it typically appeals to young professionals who may be moving towards living in self-contained accommodation or future home ownership, co-living is also well suited to those in later stages of living, key workers, new arrivals to a city and companies seeking flexible accommodation solutions for their workforce.
A management/operation plan will be in place which will ensure the building runs smoothly, services function and the residents receive a first-class experience.
- At least 3 on-site staff daily including a Communities Manager, Facilities Manager and Building Manager
- 24-hour reception / security
- Concierge
- Daily cleaning of shared kitchens and refuse disposal
Services will include:
- All utilities, telephone, broadband, TV licenses and the re:shape community App and platform
- Out-of-hours emergency contacts and security
- Full community engagement programme dedicated to residents with periodic events
- On site Personal Trainers
re:shape is passionate about making a genuine difference in the communities it works within and always seeks to maximise the social impact of all its projects through its Community Investment Programme (CIP) initiative.
Through the CIP, re:shape will seek to identify 10– 15 local charities, community groups, small to medium sized businesses and social enterprises who will benefit from free use and access to the development.
Chosen local partners will be able to benefit from access to amenity floors on a programmed basis. Benefits may range from access to the gym, shared workspaces, or free stays for particular groups in need.
As part of the commitment to the environment and reducing the environmental footprint of residents, there will only be provision for two disabled parking bays. However, there will be space for approximately 413 secure cycle spaces for residents to use.
The Worrall Street site is described as having a Greater Manchester Accessibility Levels (GMAL) of seven, which is a very good level of accessibility.
Its location is near St. George’s Island and Castlefield via the existing Woden Street footbridge to the Northeast (15-minute walk), with excellent links into central Manchester and Media City via the Cornbrook Metrolink Station. Via tram, the site has close transport connections to both the train lines and Manchester Airport.
There are also numerous bus routes local to the site which connects the waterfront to Salford city centre and MediaCityUK. The site is also within walking distance of Salford Quays to the west.
The ground floor of the site will act as both the entrance and a space, which provides residents with a café, co-working space and a terrace at the back of the building with views over the River Irwell and the riverside walkway.
On the first floor, the entire floor will be dedicated to residential amenity space. While the layout is being finalised, the space will provide an area for eating and socialising, with space dedicated to games, dining and relaxing. In addition, it will have space for secure bike storage, bin store, post room, plant room and cleaners' facilities.
The roof terrace coincides with spa and leisure, seeking to provide a sense of both personal and social mental wellbeing. The terrace links with the internal space, providing social areas; planting; a winter garden; and a pergola for added sense of biodiversity and wellbeing. The adjacent areas are gym spaces comprising open studios, machine rooms, and free weights. Alongside a yoga studio with spa/ changing rooms.
The top floor holds the ‘clubhouse level’ - a place for events to take place both for residents and external guests including community functions. When not being used for events, this area will enjoy views of the Manchester city centre skyline.
The roof terrace design strategy features a series of distinct rooms, each with its unique character. These rooms offer intimate spaces for individual dwelling opportunities alongside more social activities. These various spaces are unified through an overall design aesthetic and framework.
The terrace will provide opportunities for relaxation, work or events. The wellness space extends the spa experience outdoors, allowing for the hosting of events or informal exercise classes.
The ground floor will have a green buffer around the building helping to ground the building and soften the transition between it and the street. This helps to provide drainage and ecological enhancements. This space will have outdoor seating and socialising space with character provided by both hard and soft landscape planning that tie into the heritage of the site.
The canal riverside space will be transformed to a more visually appealing accessible route, one that enhances and encourages interaction with the building and its terrace. This will include a stepped social space and a riverside elevated terrace for residents spanning the entire length of the building and have access to the riverside walkway.
As a company, re:shape is guided by the desire to create space that minimises their ecological footprint, using eco-friendly designs and energy-efficient technologies. They are committed to protecting and enhancing the natural environment via a robust sustainability strategy with strong alignment to BREEAM credits. The project BREEAM ‘Excellent’ targets will be achieved through compliance with the following key principles:
- Energy Efficiency – The specification and design of energy-efficient building solutions, systems and equipment that support the sustainable use and management of energy during the building’s operations have been encouraged. re:shape will put in place measures to improve the inherent energy efficiency of the building, promote the reduction of carbon emissions and support efficient management through the operational phase of the building's life.
- Adaption to Climate Change – A climate change adaption strategy appraisal will be produced to identify the impact of expected extreme weather conditions arising from climate change on the building over its life cycle and identify solutions to omit potential risks.
- Land Use, Ecology and Biodiversity – re:shape’s use of previously occupied land stimulates community regeneration, particularly when communities have an input into the consultation process. The reuse of brownfield land also aligns with UK Government policies to preserve existing biodiversity by reducing reliance on greenfield land.
- SuDS and Flood Management – re:shape will conduct a flood risk assessment to determine the site’s flood risk, in order to reduce the discharge of rainfall to public sewers and watercourse, thereby minimising the risk and impact of any localised flooding on-site and off-site. re:shape will also utilise appropriate surface water run design solutions will be implemented including a Sustainable Drainage System.
- Waste Reduction – re:shape will encourage waste reduction from construction and throughout the lifetime of the building. A waste management plan will be developed, ensuring waste reporting, reduction and diversion from landfill during construction, and implementation of sustainable practices during the building phase.
In addition, a Circular Economy Statement is being prepared for the project to document the works undertaken to define a strategic approach to Circular Economy principles for the project and identify high level strategic opportunities early in the development process.
Once completed, this development will see a positive impact on the neighbouring communities. The development will also provide community space on the ground floor.
Visually, there will be very little impact on the skyline. The application sits within a cluster of residential schemes situated along the banks of the River Irwell. The massing of neighbouring residential buildings sits between seven to nine storeys with some taller massing fronting the riverbank.
Worrall Street will be a positive contributor to Salford City Council’s adopted Local Plan and housing strategy.
The Local Plan has highlighted the strategic importance of the Waterfront in Ordsall and its potential to be one of Greater Manchester's key economic areas and crucial link between its key tourist destinations.
Along with the existing residential developments, we are keen to support this plan through Worrall Street and commit to the council's desire to improve water access to the Cornbrook Metrolink Station from Worrall Street.
We are also committed to supporting the redevelopment of the Riverside Walkway and will play our part in ensuring the accessibility and improvement of this pedestrian infrastructure for residents and the community in the future.
As outlined in the HS 2020 – 2025, we are keen to contribute to the Salford City Council's push to deliver large numbers of homes in central locations with easy access to the public transport networks. This desire is part of our ethics as a housing developer and desire to be a positive part of the community.
Worrall Street is hoped to have a positive benefit on the city of Salford and Greater Manchester as a whole.
re:shape will be providing high-quality living spaces for flexible and short-term tenancies which help support the region’s growing tech ecosystem which relies on digital nomads to flourish. Which will help ease pressure on the city’s existing housing stock for private renters. In addition to this, the team will be proudly supporting Greater Manchester’s efforts to reach 50,000 affordable homes by 2037.
Worrall Street is hoped to have a positive benefit on the city of Salford and Greater Manchester as a whole.
re:shape is aiming to submit a planning application in September. As part of this planning application process, the team will be undertaking a public consultation in July. Details of this consultation will be provided in due course.