A planning application to relocate the Moston Superstore on Pym Street has been submitted helping to unlock an opportunity to create a new public square as part of a major £25m vision for Moston Lane.
Pending planning permission, the Moston Superstore will move to a site on Kenyon Lane currently occupied by the Ebsworth Street car park, providing a new and larger food shop for the community, along with dedicated car parking and cycle store for the first time.
Existing parking on Pym Street will remain open to the public, while empty sites on Albine Street and Cole Street – formerly used by Manchester College – will also be reopened for public use later this year. These sites will add further parking for locals and visitors when the Ebsworth Street car park is developed to build the new supermarket.
Find out more about the proposed development: Ref 144823
Following the acquisition of key sites by the Council between Pym Street and Hartley Street, the former supermarket site will be cleared to build a new public square facing onto Moston Lane, providing a new hub for the community.
The space is expected to be flexible to allow markets and community events, with new seating, lighting, trees, and planting –– helping to attract shoppers and visitors to support local businesses and strengthen the local economy.
To date, the multi-million-pound programme across Moston has seen new social housing, new pocket parks and green spaces, junction improvements, road safety works, new alley-gates and investment to tackle fly-tipping and environmental issues.
On Moston Lane itself, enhancements and improvements to three pocket parks were completed last year alongside investment in the Simpson Memorial Hall and Community Hub.
Additionally, over £3m of government grant funding has been invested in new social and affordable homes for Moston for local residents in recent years.
Alongside the new public square, the 2023 framework indicated that the vacant sites behind Moston Lane could also accommodate around 80 new homes – potentially a mix of apartments and town houses – including social and genuinely affordable homes.
The new development would include ground floor spaces that are envisaged as new retail and commercial opportunities to add to the offer on Moston Lane, along with potential health and community facilities as well as dedicated car parking.
And a further 30 to 40 homes are planned for a site between Waterman close and Ebsworth Street to the south of Moston Lane. The homes would be family housing helping to meet demand for larger properties in this area.
Draft designs for the new square and the new homes will be published once the Council has selected a developer to build the new space, homes and commercial space. That process is expected to conclude in the coming months, at which point there will be consultation with the community on the proposals and a chance for people to have their say.
To give residents and businesses a voice in the ongoing regeneration of Moston Lane the Council is creating a new advisory group. Chaired by local councillor Paula Appleby, the group will help the council decide on local priorities and how to direct future investment in the area. The group will also work with the appointed developer and input into the design of the new square and public realm.
Moston Lane represents one of the initial locations of focus as part of the Council’s city-wide High Street Investment programme.
Cllr Bev Craig OBE, Leader of Manchester City Council said:
“We have ambitious plans to see over £25m investment into Moston Lane and this is a significant milestone for the Moston community as this planning application marks an important step in creating a brand-new public square at the heart of the neighbourhood.
“We know that Moston people are proud and ambitious for their area and want to see a new public square, thriving local high street and new homes. That’s why we are supporting the relocation of the Superstore – taking this important independent local shop and helping it grow to serve local people for generations to come, while also building new social rent and genuinely affordable homes, investing in local green spaces, and supporting a high street that the community can be proud of.
“We are committed to making sure Moston can meet its huge potential with substantial investment– along with our high streets and district centres across the city. This application fires the starting gun on getting to work on delivery with local residents at its heart.”
Haider Jan Jaji, Owner of the Moston Superstore, said:
“For many years we have proudly served Moston, offering fresh food and groceries to our local community. This move is an incredibly exciting chapter for our business – one that will help us to grow and allow us to continue to be at the heart of the neighbourhood for many years to come. It’s great to be part of the future of Moston Lane.”