Detailed planning consent had been granted by Salford City Council for the delivery of a third phase at Middlewood Locks, the award winning, new 25-acre mixed use development at the western gateway to Manchester’s business district.

Phase three will comprise a further 189 new homes, adding to the 1,117 new homes either under construction or completed in the vibrant new neighbourhood. This includes 176 one to three-bedroom apartments situated in two buildings of 10 and 12 storeys on the northern side of the canal. There will also be 13, waterside, three and four-bedroom, three storey townhouses, suitable for family living.

Almost all of the homes will have private outdoor space by way of a balcony, terrace or garden and a generous communal podium garden will be created for the benefit of the residents There will be 61 under croft car parking spaces and 40 bicycle spaces.

This phase will also incorporate 5,150 sq ft of ground floor commercial/retail accommodation and an additional 4,970 sq ft of offices within an already thriving amenity and leisure hub which is home to Seven Brothers Beerhouse and Co-op.

Middlewood Locks is a joint venture between Scarborough International Properties, Hualing Group, based in Urumqui, Xinjiang, in China and Metro Holdings Limited, a Singapore-listed property development and investment group.

The first phase was completed with high acclaim and great demand for the broad mix of contemporary living spaces that is highly convenient to the city centre and with great public realm. The second phase of homes is currently under construction and will be ready for completion next year.

When completed, it will provide a total of 2,215 new homes and 900,000 sq ft of commercial space, including offices, hotel, shops, restaurants, and gym. With landscaped areas of green public space, the scheme is being developed around three large basins of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal which connect to the River Irwell and is a short walk from the central business district and retail amenities of Manchester city centre.

Overall, the site has a gross development value of more than £700 million and is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs for the area.

Paul Kelly, Development Director at Scarborough, said:

“We are delighted to secure consent to move forward with phase three as part of our full commitment to deliver the grand vision that is Middlewood Locks. This development is providing much needed homes in the city with fantastic doorstep amenity that remains in high demand. It also provides high-quality commercial and office space that will compliment and add to the existing offer at Middlewood Locks.”

Nicola Wallis, Sales & Marketing Director said:

“This is great news for the community of Middlewood Locks as we seek to build upon this stunning new neighbourhood with a further 189 much needed new homes. The contemporary townhouses and apartments will be situated around a private residents’ garden, making the most of the public realm and waterside location, with fantastic views towards the city. The new homes are designed to a high specification, filled with natural light, making it ideal for the growing number of people working from home…yet it’s just a short walk or cycle to the bustling city centre of Manchester.

“Middlewood Locks is already a great community with many owner occupiers and over 50% of our customers purchasing under the governments Help to Buy scheme. We have seen a demand for family homes and also from people wanting to downsize at Middlewood Locks, so it’s important that the homes in phase three cater for this market too”.

Scarborough International Properties expects to start on this new phase in early 2021 with completion expected in late 2022. Phase II was topped out in February of this year and will be completed in 2021.

Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI) is the construction partner whilst Whittam Cox Architects is design partner and Zerum is the scheme’s planning advisor.

In early August 2020, FLAGSHIP will open to the public, offering a co-working space for every business to thrive. By investing in the basics and putting careful thought into the details, we have designed our spaces to be enjoyable and productive for businesses of all sizes. We want every person who works in a Flagship space to walk through the door and glow with pride at where they work and what they are achieving here.

We firmly believe that as we move towards this ‘new normal’, entrepreneurial ideas and innovation will flourish as we learn to live in a socially distanced and technology dominant world. With this in mind, we understand that there will be a dynamic shift in the concept of an office environment, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of this movement.

Located on the corner of Turner Street, you’ll spot our 1500 sq ft space, designed to suit everyone from the freelancer to the entrepreneur to the big business, needing more space. Our memberships have been designed with you in mind so if you don’t see something that suits you and your business, contact us directly to help build a package that suits your needs.
What distinguishes Flagship spaces is the thought that has gone into the spaces. From the Herman Miller furniture to generous workspaces proportions, it has been designed by people who understand what is important to be as productive as possible.

For small businesses looking for a flagship office without the hassle, we have private offices that are designed to be made your own. Brand the door, bring in your personal touches and set up a space your space to thrive.

Social distancing measures and a regular cleaning schedule have already been considered and implemented into the
space in order for our members to feel safe and comfortable. Most importantly, we understand that your work
schedule may be uncertain at the moment, so we will endeavour to work with you to create flexible options that suit

If it’s just you and your budding business or freelance enterprise, pick out one of our dedicated desks to call your own. Use our lockable storage to keep all your office essentials nearby and enjoy meeting and networking with a host of like-minded individuals in your new space. As with the private office membership, you can enjoy 24-hour access to the building and the ability to use your allocated credits to book a meeting room when you need to host clients or suppliers.

Looking for something that suits your busy schedule? Opt for a hot desk, allowing you an allocated number of hours per week to join one of the communal desks for a change of scenery and a boost of inspiration. Recently, as we adapt to the new normal of co-working during Covid, we have also introduced our latest pay per day membership. If you’re looking for a productive space away from the kitchen table you can join our network for £20 per day.

“Our aim with FLAGSHIP was to create a space for people to thrive. By focussing on what makes people feel sustained and successful, our goal is to create environments perfect for ideas” says Manchester’s Community Manager, Emma Potter.

A successful street food business owner and marketing graduate, with an extensive background in retail and hospitality, Emma joins FLAGSHIP as our first Community Manager. Emma has lived in Manchester for 12 years and is on hand for everything you need to know about the city and our FLAGSHIP location. If you’re in the area and would like a tour around the space, or even just some recommendations for the best coffee in town, pop in anytime to meet Emma.

Lowry House, Bruntwood Works’ central Manchester workspace, is to become Bloc as work begins to revitalise the building into a productivity-boosting urban oasis as part of the work and leisure space provider’s £50m Pioneer transformation programme.

Located on Marble Street in the heart of the city centre, Bloc will launch with a renewed focus on the work environment to help boost productivity. Technology to monitor and optimise air quality, a state-of-the-art wellness suite – that will host yoga and fitness classes – and a cascading garden in the foyer, with living walls throughout, will all be introduced as Bruntwood Works aims to bring balance to business.

As part of Bloc’s effort to promote a work life balance, sleep pods will also be provided to help workers with vital rest and rejuvenation. Lack of sleep has been linked to poor performance and loss of productivity by Public Health England, with studies estimating an annual cost of £30bn to the UK due to lost sleep alone.

A local independent coffee shop will also make Bloc its home, while the refurbishment will bring a new cinema room, bespoke spaces for community pop-up events, and shared event and co-working spaces to help foster collaboration.

Renovation works are already underway to develop a ground floor annex that will include the addition of 180 new flexible desks, 12 new spaces in the coworking studio and 12 modern meeting rooms that have fully integrated hi-tech audio-visual equipment. This follows the refurbishment of the serviced suites on the upper floors, which have all been redesigned to mirror the building’s new concept.

Bloc is Bruntwood Works’ third Pioneer building – forward-thinking workspaces that offer innovative designs, individuality and flexibility – and its redevelopment follows the recent transformation of Blackfriars House and 111 Piccadilly in Manchester.

The Pioneer programme is creating a vibrant, community-focussed workplace centred on six key pillars: biophilia, art, sustainability, wellness, amenity and technology.

Ciara Keeling, CEO of Bruntwood Works, said: “Bloc will bring balance to business for our customers and community. But many businesses still face the challenge of creating the optimum work life balance. Flexible working has helped but it’s not a panacea, as lockdown has shown.

“The guiding thought behind Bloc is that we all work more productively when we’re in more natural and comfortable environments. But more than that, we’re happier too.

“Now more than ever, the flexibility of the space and level of service we provide is crucial in supporting our changed ways of working, particularly as our customers bring their teams back together and return to the office.

“Our Pioneer buildings are designed to be places that actively improve our wellbeing, and in turn, our work through greater and productivity, creativity and innovation. Bloc takes this and runs with it, and with its revolutionary biophilic revamp, it will be an urban oasis amidst an urban jungle.”

The name Bloc, defined as “a collection of people forming with a common interest or purpose”, marks the move to redefine the 16-storey building from a traditional office block to an environment that promotes balance and productivity, and one that places nature and its community of like-minded businesses at its heart.

Bloc will offer a range of workspace options that cater for businesses of all sizes, from coworking to serviced offices and traditional leased spaces to Made & Managed options which provide larger, private spaces that include rent, business rates and service charges. All workspace includes membership to the Collective, Bruntwood Work’s digital community platform and access to a broad range of amenities.

Completion is due Spring 2021.