Greater Manchester Youth Federation is bringing forward proposals to revive the former Mellands Playing Fields.
Our proposals aim to breathe new life into the former Mellands Playing Fields by bringing it back into use through the delivery of revitalised sports and community facilities and high quality new homes.
While our plans are still taking shape and before we submit a planning application, we want to consult with the local community to seek your views on our vision.
We value your feedback as we strive to create welcoming and inclusive new facilities which meet the needs of the local community.
The consultation is now closed. The planning reference number is 138788/FO/2023.
Introducing Greater Manchester Youth Federation
Supporting the youth of Greater Manchester.
Our charity has been providing vital youth services to young people in Greater Manchester for over 110 years. Working with some of the most disadvantaged communities in Greater Manchester, we create opportunities for young people to thrive in their communities and support aspirations by offering a variety of activities.
Underpinned by our values to provide inclusive safe spaces and opportunities for young people, we work with a wide variety of voluntary youth groups and projects across Greater Manchester. We also support young people by providing opportunities for outdoor education to the charity’s outdoor pursuits centre in the Lake District.
The clubs offer a mixture of sport and general recreation, providing a broad programme of positive, focused activities and training for the young people and volunteers.
Greater Manchester Youth Federation recreation
Our vision for the future of the former Mellands Playing Fields
By working with our project partners, we can ensure a community-led and financially sustainable future for the former Mellands Playing Fields site.
We know that Mellands has played an important role in the Gorton community, stretching back over many years. Several generations of Gorton youngsters learnt to play football and socialised with their friends at Mellands.
Sadly, the site has not been in full active use for several years and was closed completely before the pandemic. A range of financial challenges – including increased running costs and falling revenues from hiring the pitches – meant that it wasn’t possible to keep the facilities open.
This is a situation we want to change, so that Mellands can once again serve the local community.
Working with Centrepoint and Kellen Homes, we believe we have now found a way to deliver a community-led future for the site which will bring it back into active use and provide a range of benefits for people in the local area. Crucially, our new plan will ensure that youth and sports provision stays at the heart of the Mellands site.
A revitalised youth sports provision
The delivery of top-class youth, sports and community facilities will enable us to deliver a year round programme of recreational and educational opportunities, designed to meet the needs of different community groups, and which will inspire young people in Gorton to follow their aspirations.
A high-quality housing offer, including affordable homes
246 new homes to contribute to the longstanding need for high quality, sustainable new homes in this part of Manchester, including homes to suit first time buyers, growing families and down-sizers. This will also include a mix of accessible and affordable homes.
An independent living housing offer, supporting some of Manchester’s most vulnerable young people
36 homes for young adults, to be operated by Centrepoint. The homes would be provided within a purpose-designed building located adjacent to the community building.
A new youth, sports & community hub
The key driver behind our plans is to ensure that we can continue supporting the youth of Greater Manchester for future generations.
By reviving the playing fields and creating a new youth, sports & community hub, we can create safe spaces for young people in Gorton as well as benefiting the wider community.
Two new grass football pitches would provide year-round playing field provision for us and other clubs active in the local area, with the ability for the pitches to be split up into multiple smaller pitches for football or other outdoor sports.
Two new grass football pitches
Young adult accommodation
Centrepoint is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. They provide housing and support for young people regionally in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East and through partnerships all over the UK.
The charity helps more than 10,000 homeless young people each year and its aim is to end youth homelessness by 2037. As part of Centrepoint’s services, they offer an independent living programme which provides young people with genuinely affordable housing. They have already successfully created over 300 homes for young people in London and Greater Manchester.
As part of our plans for the Mellands site, Centrepoint are proposing to build and operate a purpose-designed independent living accommodation building which will provide 36 studio apartments for young people aged 18 - 25.
The independent living accommodation is specifically designed for young adults who are at risk of homelessness. Crucially, the young adults will be in full time employment or on an apprenticeship, and a proportion of their income will be required as a rent payment. As such, the accommodation is intended to be a stepping-stone to longer term stable housing.
New home visuals
The new youth, sports and community hub buildings would provide a new home for our programme of youth-focussed activities, which would run in the afternoons and evenings after school. During the day, there would be the opportunity to open up the facilities to other local community groups who need a place to meet.
We have received huge support from West Gorton Junior FC, Friends of Nutsford Vale and Cedar Mount Academy who have outlined that the new hub would greatly benefit them and that they would make regular use of the facilities.
The new youth, sports and community hub buildings
High quality new homes
We want the new homes to respond to the needs of the local community and be accessible to a wide range of people.
By building new homes on part of the Mellands site, we can help to meet the need for more high quality new homes in this part of Manchester.
We have selected Kellen Homes because they are an experienced house builder who create carefully designed, spacious properties to suit a range of lifestyles and budgets, without compromising on quality.
We want the new homes on the Mellands site to respond to the needs of the local community and be accessible to a wide range of people. 246 new homes will include a mix of properties for sale and for rent, as well as affordable homes to be delivered in partnership with a local registered provider.
View of Centrepoint apartments