Aerial view of the river running through the city

ProjectsUrbanManchester2026

Foundry Quarter

A masterplan for a former ironworks: 1,400 homes, a school and a linear park along a daylighted river.

Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
Completion: 2026
Built area: 9.2 ha
Plot size: 9.2 ha
Status: In progress
Client: Manchester City Council

The project

ServicesMasterplanning, Urban design, Public realm

Homes1,400, 35 percent affordable

Public realm3.1 ha, incl. linear park

River daylighted600 m

Phase 1 completion2027

The Foundry Quarter occupies the last undeveloped stretch of the River Medlock in the city centre. Our masterplan daylights 600 metres of culverted river and organises the new neighbourhood along it as a sequence of gardens, squares and a school.

Buildings step from four storeys at the river to twelve at the ring road, with brick facades that follow the rhythm of the surviving foundry sheds. Three of the sheds are retained as a market, a maker hall and a swimming pool.

Planning approval was granted in late 2025. The first phase, the park and the school, is on site.

The river district at night from above — The quarter at night, river as the spine.Fig. 01

Industrial windows of a retained shed — Inside one of the retained foundry sheds.Fig. 02

The masterplan, river to the south, ring road to the north.Fig. 03

The maker hall under its iron roof — The maker hall, phase two.Fig. 04

Aerial of the river bend — The river bend at the park's eastern end.Fig. 05

Approach

The river was the site's oldest infrastructure. We made it the new spine.

Every block has a name taken from the foundry's ledgers, so the history stays in daily use.

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