Manchester City Council has celebrated another record year for affordable housing, four years into its ambitious 10-year housing strategy
Almost 1,000 of 4,766 new homes completed across the city in 2025/26 were affordable, with 439 of these 901 affordable homes available for social rent.
This marks the most successful year since the mid-1990s for social and affordable housing construction in the city, but there is much more to come as momentum accelerates.
Cllr Gavin White, executive member for housing and development at Manchester City Council, stated: “We are working closely with the city’s housing providers and the private sector to develop home building opportunities across the city to meet the needs of our residents – and importantly, using council-owned land to increase the number of affordable homes available to Manchester people.
“We’re not waiting for someone to do it for us – we are creating ways to build the right homes in the right places to meet demand.”
Over 2,000 affordable houses in Manchester ready to go this year
There are now around 1,450 further council, social, and genuinely affordable homes in Manchester, with around 2,000 more ready to start this year.
The Council set out its 10-year housing strategy in 2022 with a bold commitment to help deliver 36,000 homes across all tenures and areas of the city, with at least 10,000 of these social, council or affordable homes, and at least 3,000 of these in the city centre.
“We know that one of the main issues facing our residents is finding a home they can afford in a place where they want to live,” said Leader of the Council Cllr Bev Craig.
“We are committed to turning the tide by delivering record numbers of council, social and affordable homes and investing in vibrant and attractive neighbourhoods across the city. This means real choice.”
Key projects progressing in 2026
Key affordable developments progressing in 2026 include:
- Wythenshawe Town Centre: 400 social rent homes have received planning approval as part of the £500m town centre redevelopment programme with Muse and WCHG
- Broadmoss, Charlestown by Legal and General: 271 homes, social rent and shared ownership
- Glenbrook has been chosen as the preferred provider to bring forward two MCC-owned sites, which will deliver over 500 homes overall – a significant proportion of which will be affordable
- Alexandra Road, Moss Side by Legal and General: 64 homes and apartments capped at the Manchester Living Rent, helping to meet major demand in this area
- Gransmoor Avenue, Openshaw by Southway and JMM: 51 social rent homes helping to meet demand in an area where right-to-buy purchases are contributing to limited access to Council housing
- Former Levenshulme Baths by Legal and General: 34 apartments that will be capped at the Manchester Living Rent, bringing back into use a long-term disused site
- Project 500 phase 2: The next 160 homes across 12 sites in north and east Manchester in partnership with Great Places, MSV and Onward, which will exceed the original 500-home target of this initiative
Craig concluded: “Headline schemes being brought forward across the city include 400 new homes for social rent in Wythenshawe town centre, 303 affordable homes as part of the Brewery Gardens development on the former Boddington’s site in the city centre, 271 new homes for social rent and shared ownership in Charlestown and 212 affordable homes in Moss Side.”
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