Town hall bosses have finalised their vision for one of the city centre’s last undeveloped areas which they hope to turn into a ‘more mature version of the Northern Quarter’.

The area bounded by Oldham Road and Rochdale Road, named New Cross by council after its historic title, is to be rebuilt into a new residential neighbourhood aimed at 20 to 39-year-olds.

New shops, bars and restaurants along Swan Street will back onto pedestrianised back streets, wider pavements, apartment blocks and new public spaces.

It is all planned for a neighbourhood that has lain largely untouched as the rest of the city centre has been regenerated.

Their plans extend several hundred yards out of the city centre although the area closest to the Northern Quarter, bounded by Oldham Road, Rochdale Road, Swan Street and Thompson Street, is likely to be redeveloped first.

(Image: Andrew Stuart/Google)

That will see apartments and town houses aimed at an age bracket the council expects to ‘dramatically increase’ in the coming years.

They will be built on the area’s ‘historic’ street grid, in a similar fashion to nearby Angel Meadows.

Northern Quarter in summer by videographer Charlie Watts

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Landmark buildings in the area such as Wing Yip, the Marble Arch pub, the Royal Mail building and the listed former Midland bank are all expected to stay, as well as some of the historic garment warehouses.

But bosses want to open up the run-down neighbourhood to pedestrians and new residents, as well as better linking Collyhurst to the city centre.

But they are expected to rule out re-routing the ring road, at least for the timebeing, despite it being considered a physical and psychologiccal divide with the city centre.

Such a move would be too costly, they believe, although they may change the flow of traffic along Thompson Street.

A final masterplan going before bosses this week admits that the 20-storey Skyline tower block on Rochdale Road, one of the few developments in the area of recent years, ‘has not had the galvanising effect on regeneration within the wider New Cross area that was perhaps anticipated’.

But it says other tall buildings could join it as part of the plan, particularly on the corner of Rochdale Road, Shudehill and Swan Street.

It also suggests a new public space next to the old Midland bank.

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'Northern Quarter at Dawn' by photographer Simon Buckley