U+I, the mixed-use property regeneration developer, has appointed James Heather as its development director responsible for delivering the company’s transformational vision for the Mayfield area of Manchester city centre.
U+I was formally appointed as development partner to The Mayfield Partnership, which comprises Manchester City Council, London and Continental Railways (LCR) and Transport for Greater Manchester, in December 2016.
Heather, who worked with property developer Argent for 17 years and played a prominent role in the delivery of its Brindleyplace mixed-use development in Birmingham, has more recently been instrumental in the delivery of One St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre.
In the spring of 2015, having left Argent, Heather established his own consultancy – Rotherwood Property Development Ltd – retaining his involvement in One St Peter’s Square, recently concluding the significant lettings to Addleshaw Goddard and Drake and Morgan in addition to the lettings to KPMG, DLA Piper, and restaurant user, San Carlo Group.
Heather said of his appointment: “This is a genuinely exciting time to be joining U+I and to be involved in the delivery of an project like Mayfield.
“There will be an authenticity and a distinctive essence to what we do here with an inclusive approach that engages residents, local businesses and visitors.
“The more you scratch away at the site’s history, the more enthralling it becomes. Our vision is to use this history to shape its future into a bustling and vibrant area which plays a major part in enhancing Manchester. It is going to be an exciting journey.”
Richard Upton, Deputy Chief Executive of U+I, said: “James brings considerable development expertise and a close and deep understanding of Manchester to our team. We are delighted to have him on board as we create a new, distinctive and vibrant city centre destination and a lasting legacy for the city.”
The Mayfield Partnership’s plan for the regeneration of Mayfield is to deliver an iconic, £850m mixed-use community in the heart of the city. The 24-acre site, once home to the Mayfield railway station, has been derelict for over a decade and the regeneration will breathe new life into what was once a thriving city district.
Mayfield will potentially provide 1,300 homes, 75,000 sq m of office space, a 350-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities and a new city park, creating over 7,500 office, retail, leisure and construction jobs.
It will reshape and extend the city towards Manchester Piccadilly, building on the benefits of the Northern Hub, Network Rail’s programme of targeted upgrades to improve rail connectivity in the north of England, and act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider Piccadilly area.
The proposals will seek to enhance many of the site’s historic features and include developing and improving the River Medlock which flows through the site. The intention is to maintain the historic buildings that still stand and making the most of the railway heritage of the area.
Heather will take up his post with U+I, which is currently based on Jordan Street, Manchester, on March 1st 2017.
ENDS
This press release is issued by Influential on behalf of U+I. For further information please contact Jon Brown, Chris Barry or Steve Sanders at Influential on 0161 935 8474 or on 07464 547297 (CB) or 07827 892673 (SS).