The Government has granted nearly £52m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to overcome infrastructure constraints needed to bring about delivery of new homes and green spaces, including the first phase of a new City River Park within the Red Bank neighbourhood – part of the wider Victoria North programme of development.

Red Bank is one of seven neighbourhoods that make up the Victoria North regeneration area – one of the biggest renewal projects the city has ever undertaken.

The planed Red Bank neighborhood plan will transform the disused 25-acre former Red Bank carriage sidings which have been been blighted by fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

Preparing the site for development will kick-start a wider programme of investment to create a new green neighbourhood.

Further planning applications will be submitted next year seeking permission for the main infrastructure works, improvements to St Catherine’s Wood and the first elements of the City River Park.

These will be followed by applications for residential development.

Victoria North is a joint venture programme between Manchester City Council and developer Far East Consortium (FEC).

Over the next 15 to 20 years, the Victoria North project will deliver more than 15,000 new homes (at least 20% of which will be affordable housing), with each neighbourhood connected by high quality green spaces and 46-hectare City River Park, which will open up and celebrate the Irk River Valley for the first time in decades.