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Since consulting you on a Masterplan for the new campus in summer 2009. We have since made a number of important changes to our plans. These include:
Approximately 60% of the site will remain as open accessible space. This is considerably more that the previous Masterplan proposals. The design of the open space has been worked up further. We believe it is a significant improvement on the previous version.
Rather than submit just one application at a time for each building, MMU are showing from the outset their long term Masterplan and vision for the whole Birley Fields campus within one comprehensive planning application.
The development of Birley Fields campus will however, be phased over a number of years. Should planning permission be granted, the Academic building, multi-storey car park, energy centre and landscaping will form the first phase. MMU have therefore applied for this in full.
In submitting part of the application in outline, MMU are seeking to establish whether the scale and nature of the proposed buildings for the future phases are acceptable to the Council, before fully detailed proposals are put forward.
If permission is granted, MMU will still need to apply for approval of the details (“reserved matters”) before work can start on these buildings. These details will be the subject of a “reserved matters” application at a later stage.
A maximum of 1,200 bed spaces are proposed in 5 halls of residence
The building of the student accommodation will be phased and will depend on demand. The 1200 bed spaces figure is therefore a maximum amount that could be accommodated on the campus.
The new student population will bring a number of key benefits. They would increase activity which will help with safety and security. They will benefit local businesses, helping to support an increased range and mix of uses to be located within the area.
Development of student accommodation at Birley Fields is in line with the Manchester Student Strategy Implementation plan, a plan drawn up by jointly by Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester and MMU. This plan has been developed to address issues related to large populations of students living in certain areas of Manchester and seeks to focus development in proximity to the university campuses, including Birley Fields.
MMU has also adopted its own student accommodation strategy. This includes to:
This element of the scheme is still under consideration, and within the planning application we have retained flexibility to consider this later on. We are looking at uses including cafés, retail, meeting spaces, and we’d like to hear what you think would be useful to the community.
The uses should benefit not just MMU users, but the whole community.
We are retaining as many of the existing trees on site as possible. These will be supplemented with the planting of new trees, resulting in more trees than we have now.
The spaces have been designed to encourage everyone to use them for a range of activities. They form a central part of the plans and we aim to make them a place that all members of the community can enjoy using.
The Birley Fields Hulme campus will place MMU at the heart of the community. A number of community facilities have been suggested during the previous rounds of consultation. Within the academic building there will be a sports hall and a drama studio, which may be used by the community. There will also be meeting spaces and other facilities which can be booked out for members of the community to use.
At this early stage we have not finalised opening hours or whether there will be a charge to use the facilities. We will advise you of any updates via our website.
Altogether around 6,000 students will use the site in total, many of them part-time. Among them will be a high number of mature students who live and work in the city. The regular student population of campus may be around 3,500 as a large proportion of education and health students are out on placements in schools, hospitals etc.
MMU has seven sites altogether. It is one of the most widespread higher education institutions in Britain and if the University is to attract new students, it will require an attractive modern campus in a sustainable location. The new Birley Fields campus will allow the University to have all its Manchester provision in one campus area – Birley Fields and All Saints.
The Didsbury proposal was for a different proposition – an extension to the existing campus there only. Birley Fields has been earmarked for redevelopment since the clearance programmes in the 1990s and will enable links to the existing All Saints campus as well as with the city centre and its hub of transport networks connecting the campus to a wide population.
Bringing the Health and Education faculties together in Birley Fields creates major regeneration benefits for Hulme and Moss Side, attracting significant investment and maximising impact.
We received a range of comments during the previous consultation for Birley Fields. We kept a register of all comments received and we’ve been through the comments to help us understand what the community want as part of this development. Although we can’t take on board all comments, we have taken on as many as possible as discussed below:
Trees and open space – many comments received expressed concern at the possibility of losing trees on the site. We have undertaken a full tree survey so that we can gauge the health and maturity of trees to help us figure out which trees to keep. From the trees that are healthy, we’ve identified which ones should be retained. The architects have then designed the scheme around these trees and also around the pathways through the site which have been used by the community. Because of this, we’ve been able to retain a large number of trees. Some trees will, however, have to be removed because they are diseased or dying and would not otherwise survive or because there is no way around their loss to ensure that the plans can be developed. We have kept the latter to an absolute minimum. We also heard that providing open space is important to you. A large area of open space is central to the scheme. This space is for use by both the university and the wider community.
Community Facilities – as a University campus there are a number of uses which we can share with the community and make available for use. For example, meeting rooms and the drama studio in the Academic building.
Sports Hall – a sports hall was specifically mentioned by a large number of people in the last consultation. This is something that the University staff and students can share with the community, and will be available to the community to use.
We heard how important it is to you to provide jobs for local people. We are therefore aiming to provide as many employment opportunities as possible for local people. There will be a variety of jobs available during the construction period, once the campus is up and running and also through increased spending in the area as a result of the increased student and staff population.
We have listened to Hulme residents’ concerns about the environment. The campus will be designed to incorporate the latest environmental technologies which will minimise carbon, water and waste and maximise ecology. It will be one of the greenest campuses in Britain.
At this stage we are informing you of the content and scope of the planning application. Some parts of the application proposals are finalised and some are not. This is because some elements of the development will be built earlier than other parts. We’ve taken on board as many comments as possible from the consultation last year, and have incorporated these comments into the finalised elements of the scheme.
The elements of the scheme which are finalised are:
The remainder of the application is in outline and the therefore the proposals provide an indication of what is to come. Individual buildings and layout may change through detailed design. We’re looking for your comments at this stage as you still have the opportunity to make a difference. This includes a large portion of public space where the design hasn’t yet been finalised.
The Council will carry out its formal consultation following registration of the application. They will send consultation letters to residents/occupiers within the immediate area around the site. In addition, it is likely that the application will be advertised on site (via site notices usually attached to lamp posts) and also in the notices section of the Manchester Evening News.
The letters and notices will include an application reference number, a brief description of the development, the allocated case officer’s name and contact details and details of where the application can be viewed (the submission will available to view via the Council’s web based Public Access system and during opening hours at Reception within the Council’s temporary offices at 1 First Street). The notices allow 21 days for comment to be submitted, although comments received up to the point of determination will be taken into consideration.
The 400-space car park for use by staff during the day and potentially by students in the evening and a Green Travel Plan developed by MMU to reduce the use of private cars and encourage use of public transport, will all contribute to reducing on-street parking on Hulme’s residential streets.
We are also committed to funding implementation of a residents parking scheme in Hulme to reduce any on-street parking issues. The extent of this Residents’ Parking Zone is still being explored as it will be implemented by the City Council.
Birley Fields will be the greenest university campus in the UK, with environmental sustainability integral to all design.
We ultimately aim to achieve zero net carbon footprint, zero net water consumption and zero off site waste disposal – ‘the three zeros’.
We expect that when the new campus begins to be built, we will actually achieve green credentials somewhere between the building regulation requirements for 2012 and the three zeros – a fantastic achievement!
Zero Carbon using: Solar water heating; Gas combined heat and power. Photovoltaic electricity generation.
Zero Water so that no supplies are drawn from the mains system and no waste water discharged into the sewerage network using: Storage of rainwater; Recycling lightly polluted wastewater; Abstracting groundwater.
Zero Waste using: Waste separation and recycling; Waste storage space provided on site; A responsible purchasing policy to be sure that resources bought do not waste any materials.
The large size of the site allows for significant areas of greening and landscaping linked to surrounding areas of trees and grassland.
A detailed assessment of the ecology on the site has been carried out as part of the Environmental Statement that will accompany the application. This has included an assessment of the botanical habitats on site and the potential for these to support protected species such as bats and reptiles. It also included consultation with biological records centres and local species groups for records they hold within the local area.
This assessment has concluded that the habitats on site do not offer the potential to support protected species and that the site is not part of any ecological route.
The site itself does not benefit from any ecological designations. Whilst the records from local groups have shown there to be bat foraging activity within the site, there are no records for bat roosts on the site and the ecological assessment has concluded that none of the trees on site offer the potential to support roosting bats. It is anticipated that the habitats which will remain on the site and those due for creation as part of the landscaping will maintain and improve foraging habitat for bats.
As part of the development, MMU will be hoping to introduce roost boxes for bats and birds within suitable habitat. There is also the possibility of including green roofs within some of the buildings which will benefit local wildlife and offer potential habitat for Black Redstart, a Greater Manchester Local Biodiversity Action Plan species. The construction works will be carried out at certain specific times of the year so as not to disturb any nesting or hibernating birds and animals.
It is anticipated that the development will result in an improvement to site ecology through the better management of existing habitats and the creation of new, ecologically valuable habitats.
MMU provides 24 hour site security and assistance across the campuses to ensure safety of all students, staff, visitors and contractors.
In addition, Greater Manchester Police will provide advice on how to best design the campus to avoid crime and antisocial behaviour.
All the evidence from the police indicates that high-activity areas actually deter petty crime.
Nevertheless, MMU is currently working with Greater Manchester Police to help tackle crime. This involves a number of initiatives:
Those people with cable TV (e.g. Virgin) and those with existing satellite systems (e.g. Sky) are unlikely to be affected by loss of reception following the erection of a new building. Sometimes new buildings can cause interference with TV signals. This, however, depends on a number of factors including the height and footprint of the new buildings and the relative positions of existing properties and the TV transmitters used for TV reception. A thorough assessment of this will be performed to determine whether, and how many, properties may be affected by the new buildings.
Should interference be experienced by local residents, various mitigation measures can be implemented to resolve the issue, such as:
MMU will select the appropriate mitigation measures on a case-by-case basis.
As far as possible, mitigation measures will used to minimise disruption. For example, for construction activities we will seek to use where possible low noise options and noise attenuation techniques and carry out certain activities during agreed hours of the day. In accordance with building requirements, all activities which generate noise will take place only during working hours.
Delivery routes for the delivery of large items of construction plant (e.g. tower crane sections) and building components will be discussed and agreed with Manchester City Council Highways Department, with operations undertaken using agreed routes and during agreed periods, to minimise disruption to local traffic, and the normal workings of the surrounding properties.
In addition, MMU understand the need to keep local residents up to date with construction activities issues and progress. We will be producing newsletters and pre-arranged meetings to keep residents fully informed. In addition, a “Construction Liaison Officer” will be appointed to manage communication and to resolve any complaints that arise.
Protecting members of the public from risks to their health or safety arising from the construction work is a high priority. Every care will be exercised to prevent risk to members of the public and appropriate action, including the erection of perimeter fencing to a specified standard, will be taken.
It is anticipated that an average of approximately 15 to 20 deliveries per day, with this peaking at 40 vehicles per day, whilst the concrete frame pouring take place.
Delivery routes for the delivery of large items of construction plant (e.g. tower crane sections) and building components will be discussed and agreed with Manchester City Council Highways Department, with operations undertaken using agreed routes and during agreed periods, to minimise disruption to local traffic, and the normal workings of the surrounding properties.
Noise from the proposed Energy Centre will be fully assessed and controlled as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment that is being prepared as part of the application.
An external noise survey has been undertaken by our acoustic engineers to determine the existing background noise levels at noise sensitive locations close to the site (this includes neighbouring residential properties) . This acoustic information is being used as the basis to derive appropriate noise limits for equipment and plant within the proposed Energy Centre. The equipment within the Energy Centre will not be any nosier than the recorded noise levels close to the site.
Should planning permission be granted, these noise limits will form part of the approval and MMU must adhere to the limits.
Air quality emissions and odours from the Energy Centre will also be thoroughly assessed as part of the planning application. Any emissions and odours that are found to be generated from the Energy Centre will be sufficiently controlled through measures such as appropriate stack heights and use of best available technology such as modern burner designs to ensure that the effect on local air quality is insignificant.
A recent impact assessment study1 has estimated that a total of more than 800 new jobs will be supported in the area as a result of the new Birley Fields campus. These include professional jobs, admin, support and maintenance jobs. Over 50 construction jobs are also expected to be created during the development phase to suit a variety of skills.
Around 280 new jobs new jobs will be created as a result of the £29m of additional spending per year anticipated in the area’s local businesses and shops. The numbers of jobs taken up by Hulme and Moss Side residents will be monitored.
The new campus may also provide new training opportunities and job seeking advice. Recruiting locally is set to take on even greater priority via a new Employment and Skills Centre on Alexandra Road.
1 MMU Birley Fields in Hulme Campus Impact Assessment, Roger Tym & Partners, April 2009 (PDF, 1.8MB)
For more information, please email birleyfields@mmu.ac.uk.