The Victoria North regeneration programme set to see up to 15,000 new homes built over the next 15 years.
08:06, 25 Oct 2025Updated 08:09, 25 Oct 2025
Thomas Davies, Collyhurst Skills Centre Graduate(Image: Manchester council)
A multi-billion-pound north Manchester regeneration scheme is bringing thousands of new homes and jobs – and some are already benefiting.
The North Manchester Social Benefits Framework, which was set up to accompany the massive regeneration projects at Victoria North and North Manchester General Hospital, has been refreshed.
The framework is a strategic plan that goes beyond just houses and jobs, its leaders have said – with the heart of the vision for it to help create a stronger, healthier north Manchester.
The £6bn boost – fronted by Manchester council and FEC UK, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – includes healthcare and social value.
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In addition to 4,911 jobs and the hundreds of houses already built, £30m social value has also been generated by the framework, bosses say. Social value is the positive impact a project has on society, going beyond purely financial returns.
One person who has already benefited from this is Collyhurst resident Thomas Davies.
Thomas Davies, Collyhurst Skills Centre Graduate(Image: Manchester council)
The Collyhurst Skills Centre graduate said: “I was on benefits where I was getting £630 a month as a single parent.
“My wage for today has just come through and it’s £1,130 for just one week, which is a giant difference, it’s massive.
“It’s made a massive difference to my life and my child’s life and everything and I can’t thank the skills people enough for supporting me through this. It’s been absolutely brilliant.”
There are bound to be more like Thomas coming in the future, with the Victoria North regeneration programme set to see up to 15,000 new homes built over the next 15 years. The new neighbourhoods would be scattered across 155 hectares between Victoria Train Station and Queen’s Park in Collyhurst.
Collyhurst aerial view from drone(Image: Manchester council)
In order to push forward, the newly created 2025 Framework has five themes: Education, Skills, and Employment; Health and Wellbeing; Community Resilience; Digital; Environmental.
And bosses have revealed that ‘to maximise delivery against the Framework outcomes’, several core supporting initiatives have been designed:
- The North Manchester Social Benefits Brokerage Service: Set up to match organisations that need social value support (“asks”) with those that might be able to provide it (“offers”).
- The North Manchester Contractors Guide: A practical resource showcasing a wide range of examples of local organisations, community groups, and projects and initiatives that the contractor can get involved in and support as part of their social value offer.
- The North Manchester Social Value Network: A space for collaboration between contractors working on separate contracts. It allows contractors to share best practice, celebrate successes and plan collaborative social value activity across the north Manchester geography.
Although the current framework focuses on north Manchester in response to the major investment programmes in this part of the city, leaders say that in time, it is hoped this approach can be lifted and repurposed in other parts of the city.
Leader of the council Bev Craig (Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Coun Bev Craig, leader of Manchester council, said: “North Manchester is about to see unprecedented levels of investment from nationally significant projects like Victoria North, new homes, investments in high streets and the £1.5bn into North Manchester General Hospital. Our priority is getting the most out of this once in a lifetime opportunity for local people.
“Social Value is about making investment go further and using regeneration in our city to create a much wider impact – creating jobs and opportunities for our residents to upskill, and to invest in neighbourhood projects that create tangible pride in our places.
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“In Collyhurst, working in partnership with FEC UK we have created the Construction Skills Centre that has been helping local people into great jobs that have changed lives, bringing a steady income and genuine fulfilment. But this space has also been a place of community, bringing like-minded people together, creating a renewed sense of belonging that creates lasting, successful neighbourhoods.
“This Framework is about long-term investment in our people – as it is people, not buildings that create cities. We have been building this programme for four years and we have seen fantastic results.
“We want to keep building on this and take this model to other parts of our city so as many of our residents as possible can share in Manchester’s success.”