A former mill in Manchester is being redeveloped to provide over 100 mixed new homes, with the construction of mezzanine floors in many of the apartments to increase the living area.
The conversion of the mill in Empress Road will be undertaken alongside a new build by FreshStart Living, a property developer based in Salford specialising in the refurbishment of former local authority tower blocks and property which is old or has fallen out of use.
FreshStart recently acquired Trafford Press, the adjoining building in Chester Road, and began a redevelopment of the site at a planned cost of £9m in June 2011. The expected completion date is June 2013. Most of the properties in this development have already been sold to investor landlords, with those funds going towards the cost of the new development which, reflecting the original use of the property, will be called Empress Mill.
Parking spaces and almost 50,000 square feet of commercial space will be available over both ground floors. The new build on six floors will comprise a mixture of one and two-bed apartments. In an attempt to lift the market at an entry level, twenty of the one-bed apartments have been earmarked for first-time buyers at a preferential rate.
The original building on five floors will be converted to accommodate five two-bed penthouses and over 30 three-bed duplex apartments. The addition of mezzanine floors gives these apartments over 1,000 square feet of living space and the double-height ceilings give the new homes a light and spacious feel.
