Novella, a collection of design-led apartments within The English Cities Fund’s (ECF) New Bailey scheme, is now complete. City Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett helped to mark the milestone with a tour of the building, alongside ECF and contractors, Morgan Sindall Construction.
Boasting 211 apartments over 23 storeys, Novella is the latest residential scheme in ECF’s wider £1bn Salford Central masterplan, which also includes other housing developments Slate Yard, the sold-out Atelier and the sustainable, affordable housing scheme, Greenhaus which started on site earlier this year.
The different housing tenures across the 50-acre plan include townhouses, built-to-rent properties and luxury apartments, which together, are bringing a unique mix of people and creating a diverse community.
Novella is redefining Salford’s apartment market, with its ‘river view residents’ space’ that integrates communal living, working and wellbeing, and combining striking design with luxury amenities such as 24-hour concierge & communal lounges, a podium roof garden, residents’ gym and wellness suite, bike store and parcel lockers.
To celebrate the project, ECF recently commissioned Salfordian Kieran Knowles, to write a bespoke piece of poetry about the city, its people and rich history, highlighting how moving into the rejuvenated area can allow new residents to start their own ‘story’ or novella. The poem was performed by key figures within the scheme’s delivery team, as well as local people who are living and working within the development.
Max Bentham, senior development manager at ECF said: “Novella raises the bar in contemporary living in Salford, and as we continue to deliver on the wider masterplan, centrally located new homes are becoming increasingly in demand from a diverse mix of people which is great to see.
“One of our goals is to revolutionise what inner-city living means and offer more than just a place to live, we want to build communities. Novella offers more communal spaces and opportunities to host events in the building, so that it fits with social lifestyles, as well as providing workspaces for those who work from home but want some separation from their personal apartment space.”
Shaun Jones, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in Greater Manchester, said: “Having previously delivered The Slate Yard and the New Bailey and Stanley Street NCP multi-storey car parks, we’re proud to have been a key partner on this transformative masterplan. Our completion at Novella is yet another proud milestone for our team.
“It’s been a privilege to work with businesses in the area and create training and employment opportunities for local people on these projects, creating a real social and economic legacy. This is a really exciting time for Salford, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
The English Cities Fund, a joint venture between Muse Developments, Legal & General and Homes England, is currently delivering some of the most complex and most successful urban regeneration projects across the UK. Following the fund’s expansion in 2018, it continues to take on large-scale, challenging sites and create inspiring new places.
