Build-to-Rent Formula

Cotton Field Wharf: Build-to-Invest

Image: (Hydrock, 2020:online)

Previous chapters have investigated novel legislative identification of BtR projects. This final section focuses upon the building, where all previously discussed knowledge is condensed upon a single scheme for the connection of global theory to a supposedly discrete sociotechnical object, which is revealed as a confluence of invisible infrastructures vampirically extracting value through provision of ‘sufficient’ accommodation.

The development in focus is Cotton Field Wharf, a Manchester Life project in the heart of Ancoats. The inclusion of a self-proclaimed BtR project (Manchester Life, 2020) is used to connect global theories of neo-marxist urbanism and political ecologies to specific typologies, providing another lens in which to critically analyse material architectures to identify, and problematise, the immaterial architectures required to construct and sustain post-crisis ‘solutions’ to housing. With this in mind, Cotton Field Wharf is selected due to its use by Manchester Life as a ‘flagship’ canal-side development. (Manchester Life, 2020) Aligned with

the BtR identifiers discussed in the previous section, Cotton Field Wharf is revealed to qualify, cementing the claims and theories in this dissertation.

Figure 01: Ancoats In Context of Greater Manchester Source Image: (Google Maps, 2020:online)

Figure 02 Proximity of Cotton Field Wharf to City Centre Source Image: (Google, 2020:online)

Shown in Figure 02, Cotton Field Wharf is located 10 minutes walk from Manchester’s main transport hub, Piccadilly Station, and 12 from the main retail district, Market Street, Cotton Field Wharf (CFW hereafter) additionally has access to New Islington tram stop which offers services to the outer limits of Manchester’s conurban, e.g., Bury, Wythenshawe. The efficacy of demographic targeting in the redevelopment of Ancoats through is illustrated using data published by Manchester City Council using Mosaic, “a population segmentation tool that uses a range of data and analytical methods to provide insights into the lifestyles and behaviours of the public in order to help make more informed decisions.” (Manchester City Council, 2016:1)

Ancoats is identified as a ‘Class J41’ neighbourhood, where Class J41 is defined as ‘Rental Hubs’ with “Educated young people privately renting in urban neighbourhoods (typical age 2630)” (Manchester City Council, 2016:2), constituting 35.87% of the Ancoats and Clayton population, above Manchester’s average of 26.94% (Manchester City Council, 2016). As figure 03 shows, the weighting of these households is geographically uneven, with vast swathes of Class J households residing on the city centre periphery. Understanding concentration of a singular demographic is explicable by the efficacy of Manchester Life’s portfolio which caters to this targeted audience.