Victoria Point refers to the purpose-built student accommodation on Hathersage Road and the adjacent Bax Road in Manchester. The property is owned by Empiric Student Property (ESP) and managed through its wholly owned specialist Hello Student Management company.
You can find out more about Victoria Point here.
We are planning to make significant changes to Victoria Point that will affect the whole site. If approved, these changes will deliver improvements not only to the student accommodation in terms of amenity, safety and security but also to the quality of the green spaces, public access and the safety and security of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Yes. The buildings are outdated in terms of modern safety standards, energy efficiency and carbon. The quality of the accommodation is also lacking, especially with regards the welfare and wellbeing of the young people.
This means a significant investment, which will be supported by an increase in the number of beds.
Alongside the increase in the number of bed spaces, upgrades to the common areas and other amenity spaces, we are also exploring options for how Victoria Point can be better integrated within the wider community.
Our ambition is, through carefully considered planning and design, to enhance Victoria Point in a way that benefits the whole community and creates more opportunities for engagement between students, neighbours, local businesses and community groups in Ardwick ward.
For example, making public spaces more accessible and enjoyable, improving lighting and security at the boundaries or enhancing the street scene on Bax Road and Hathersage Road. Your input is especially important here.
We had hoped to begin our investment programme before the Covid pandemic. The disruption that ensued, on top of several other factors, meant that ESP, as with many other organisations, had to pause many of its projects. However, the underlying necessity for the investment has not gone away.
On top of this, ESP recognises the importance of upgrading the energy efficiency, reducing the carbon footprint and improving the biodiversity of its properties. These objectives are becoming increasingly urgent.
We think it makes sense to deliver a programme of work as a single project. This will minimise disruption for our students as well as our neighbours and the wider community.
Manchester’s status as a global leader in higher education provision has been hard won. High quality student accommodation is an important part of this. ESP, through its brand Hello Student brand, is already an experienced operator. It manages four other student schemes in Manchester and so is ideally placed to support Manchester City Council’s ambitions to increase the number of students by providing great universities and attractive, well-managed and sustainable student accommodation.
We know from our initial conversations locally that student accommodation must be well integrated within the existing residential and business community. Students can make a valuable contribution to the local neighbourhood – economically, culturally and socially – but only when the built environment supports this.
Victoria Point is already within walking distance of the University of Manchester and other higher education institutions in the city. The location has good access to public transport and the amenities that make living in Manchester appealing.
Your feedback and suggestions for improvements to the Victoria Point location are an important part of how we help deliver the potential that the site offers for students, neighbours and the community.
Yes, but only after extensive discussion and collaboration. The proposal and delivery of the scheme will not impact the day-to-day operations and functions of the Baths. We are already in conversation with the Trustees and management of Victoria Baths to explore how to best deliver a deliver a scheme that supports the Baths and the wider community.
Our vision is to unlock the opportunities of the immediate area, benefitting students, neighbours and the wider community.
We fully recognise that the Grade II* listed Victoria Baths is of historical and architectural significance and an asset valued by the community. We are in conversations with Historic England as to how the proposal can complement the setting of the Baths.
Our planning application has now been submitted and can now be viewed via the planning portal. We will provide updates via email and our social media channels. If you would like to receive an email update once the committee reaches a decision, you can send us your details at [email protected].
A detailed timeline will be announced if our plans are approved. This will be communicated via our social media channels and email. If you would like to be alerted via email when we announce our timeline, you can send us your details at [email protected].
Our environmental consultants commissioned Energy, Environmental Standards, Overheating and Ventilation statements as part of our planning application, which determined the project’s compliance with national and regional sustainability standards.
The statements concluded that the project’s sustainability credentials exceeded national and MCC local plan targets, achieving ‘excellent’ when compared against the BREEAM environmental benchmarking scheme and an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A.
ESP’s core aims for Victoria Point are to deliver a site that achieves net-zero carbon, biodiversity enhancement and improvements to health and wellbeing whilst treading lightly on the planet.
Proposed environmental measures include sustainable heat pumps, improved whole building air permeability to prevent heat loss, energy-efficient appliances and the planting of new plant and tree species to boost local biodiversity.
We will use this website and our Facebook page to keep you abreast of our plans and inform you of upcoming events.
If you have any specific questions, you can get in touch by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0800 061 4979.