CERT reconfigures Peelers Yard in Manchester

The developer has partnered with Myprotein founder Oliver Cookson to deliver the 81-flat project on the site of an 1872 police and fire station.

Peelers Yard will mark Cookson’s first foray into property.  The Manchester-native investor said: “I am very pleased to be able to invest back in the community where I have my roots and to actively participate in the rejuvenation of the city through this redevelopment.

“The project will transform a landmark left abandoned into high-quality housing affordable to many Manchester young professionals,” he said.

Cookson’s introduction as an investor for the Goulden Street development puts the scheme on track for a summer 2025 completion. It also shows progress for a scheme that has undergone a series of changes over the past year, including new owners, design tweaks, and contractor switches.

CERT Property acquired the Peelers Yard project last year from Mulbury City, which had already started building an earlier version of the Manchester scheme. The Mulbury City plan called for 73 flats and several commercial elements.

CERT and Cookson’s initiative trades in the commercial aspect of Peelers Yard for additional housing. Tim Groom Architects, who designed the original project, was retained for the updated version – as was interior designer Youth.

In addition to the nixing of the commercial elements, the other big change is the main contractor. Mulbury Homes, which had been building the project for Mulbury City, was set to continue its work for CERT. However, the contractor went into administration shortly after CERT acquired the site.

Despite the administration, progress has continued with subcontractors carrying out initial site works. CERT will be announcing the new main contractor in six weeks.

The 81 apartments at Peelers Yard are set to be a mix of one-bedroom flats and two-bedroom ones. They range in style from more townhouse-centric to duplex penthouses to standard flats. Many of these homes integrate the remaining boundary walls of the original 1872 police and fire station in their designs.

The centrepiece of Peelers Yard is the former police station’s 25-metre chimney stack, which has been kept and given a lantern.

Peelers Yard is part of the New Cross neighbourhood in Manchester.

Howard Lord, managing director at CERT, described New Cross as “an exciting emerging district”.

“We’re excited to play our part in the area’s regeneration and continue our track record of celebrating historic buildings and structures, and incorporating them into our projects as we did with the nearby Popworks project and as we have done elsewhere,” Lord said.

“This fits with our ethos of reuse of existing structures where possible to minimise waste and carbon output in development.”

You can see the amended designs for Peelers Yard by searching 135825/JO/2022 on the Manchester City Council planning portal.

Peelers Yard is one of several projects CERT has underway in the city region. The developer is set to complete the 45-home SONA near the Manchester Apollo this autumn. CERT is also seeking planning permission for its 102-flat Velocity scheme off Talbot Road in Trafford. Across the River Irwell, CERT is also developing a 30-storey tower, set to hold 402 apartments.