Dovecote House

Work on our Dovecote House apartment project for Great Places Housing Group has officially completed.

The scheme comprises 89 affordable homes, including one and two bedroom apartments, with 31 homes for Social Rent and 58 for Rent to Buy. The site of Dovecote House has a long history, having been occupied since the late eighteenth century, initially with terraced housing and later by the Armitage Terracotta Works and showroom. In recognition of this heritage, a plaque set within salvaged terracotta blocks is integrated into the Brock Street entrance. Dovecote House has been delivered alongside our refurbishment of the neighbouring Grade II listed Armitage Showroom, now known as Sligo House, by the McCaul Group.

The new residential building is designed to strengthen the surrounding streetscape and reconnect the site with the character of the wider neighbourhood. The building creates active frontages along Pigeon Street and Brock Street, improving safety, activity and pedestrian experience throughout the area. Generous setbacks, landscaped terraces and carefully considered massing help create a comfortable residential setting while responding sensitively to neighbouring buildings.

Internally, all apartments are designed to meet or exceed Nationally Described Space Standards, providing bright, well-proportioned homes with high levels of natural light and efficient layouts. Residents benefit from secure entrances, dedicated cycle storage, refuse facilities and communal landscaped areas that encourage interaction and community living. The architecture draws inspiration from Manchester’s industrial heritage through the use of high-quality brickwork, strong vertical proportions and detailed façade treatments, while adopting a contemporary approach suited to modern city living.

Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration Cllr Gavin White said:

“The development is a special moment for city centre affordable housing – the first social rent homes inside the inner ring road for a generation. This is helping more Manchester people have more choice about where they live, while helping meet demand for genuinely affordable housing option in the centre of the city and moving us closer to achieving our ambitious target of building at least 10,000 affordable homes across the city through to 2032 – 3,000 of which will be in the city centre.”