More than 500 flats at ex-Boddingtons Brewery site

The new development is being built on the site of the former Boddingtons Brewery

Work has begun at a former brewery site on building the first new social housing development in Manchester's city centre in more than 40 years.

The £145m development being built on the site of the former Boddingtons Brewery on Great Ducie Street, which has been derelict for more than a decade.

The 'Brewery Gardens' project by Clarion Housing Group includes 505 new flats, 60% of which will be allocated either to people on the social housing waiting list or for first-home buyers under the government's shared ownership scheme.

Richard Cook from the developer said the apartments would help address the "major crisis" of housing across the UK.

He said: "Manchester has about 12,000 people on its [social housing] waiting list."

The Boddingtons Brewery by Strangeways prison was founded in 1778 and closed in February 2005 when production moved elsewhere.

The beer has begun being poured again in Greater Manchester pubs for the first time in 13 years after it began being brewed and distributed by Manchester company JW Lees.

It was even recently enjoyed by the Japanese ambassador to the UK.

Bev Craig says the building will be the centre of a planned revitalisation for Strangeways

Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig said the council had previously struggled to find a developer to build new social housing in the city centre.

She said: "[This development] is taking a bit of land, under-loved, unused and transforming it into a brand new neighbourhood."

"It's part of a bigger move to think about how we make the city centre more affordable to everybody so that we can have a mix of communities and everybody can enjoy it."

Craig said the council had a 20-year plan to revitalise the Strangeways area, which included building 7,000 new homes, a new park and a new creative district.

She said there were also plans to eventually move the prison.

"No modern city has got a prison right in its city centre," she said.

"Our long-term ambition would be that...we get Strangeways prison out and we can do some really exciting things that nods to our heritage, our creativity, local communities and Manchester's growth."