Hundreds of students could move to First Street in new apartment block and food hall plans

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Hundreds more students could soon call First Street home, after plans to build a 576-bed apartment block with a food hall were unveiled yesterday (March 3).

The block, which will be called House of Social, is ‘designed for second- and third-year students who have established friendship groups’, developers Vita say.

In all, there will be 24 five-bedroom and 76 six-bedroom ‘clusters’, the firm added. Each flat will contain the given amount of en-suite bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen, and a living area.

Some larger studio apartments will also be available, each with its own small kitchen. READ MORE: After decades of trying, an 'eyesore' Manchester city hotel will finally be redeveloped Of the 576 rooms, the proposal includes a provision for 86 affordable rooms, along with 24 studios designed to be accessible for residents with additional needs. “We’re delighted to bring forward these exciting new plans for our new student brand House of Social, adding to the First Street masterplan and complementing our neighbouring Vita Student offering,” Max Bielby, Chief Operating Officer for Vita Group said. “House of Social is the student house re-imagined, bringing students together at the most important time in their life and giving them the opportunity to make life-long friends whilst excelling in their studies.” On top of this, Vita is including a 14,000 sq ft ground floor food hall which will provide space for ‘independent food brands to build their business’, the company adds.