Today property development and investment company Views announced it is holding a public consultation from 4.30pm to 8pm on Tuesday 9 December for its emerging plans to create 53 new family homes at the former USDAW (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) head office at 188 Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, Manchester.
Views recently acquired the two acre site, which has been vacant for five years, and is working with Manchester based Nick Moss Architects on the plans. The preference is to restore the original Victorian Oakley Villa (circa 1840) and convert it into eleven apartments while the 20th century office buildings will be replaced by 42 three and four bedroom townhouses.
The site, to be known as Oakley Gardens, is bounded on two sides by Platt Fields Park and has a number of protected trees which Views will retain.
Patrick Sheridan, senior development manager said: “Our Oakley Gardens site at 188 Wilmslow Road lends itself to family housing, in keeping with its neighbouring streets and deferring to the nature that surrounds it. We know there is a lot of interest from the local community in the future of the site and it is important to us to engage with our neighbours at this early stage because we want to ensure our proposals enhance the wider area.”
The consultation will be held in Oakley Villa at 188 Wilmslow Road, accessed via Langley Road. For anyone unable to attend the public event, the consultation will be online from Tuesday 9 December 2025 and can be accessed on the Oakley Gardens project page.
As well as engaging with statutory stakeholders during the design process, Views and its planning consultants Ashton Hale, will distribute information leaflets to approximately 1,000 residential and commercial neighbours to the scheme to inform them of the consultation.
The acquisition of Oakley Gardens comes off the back of a twelve month growth period for Views, which has included construction of nine new homes getting under way at Empress Court in Heaton Norris, planning permission secured for the 66 home scheme known as Broad Hill Gardens at the former Burnage Cricket Club, as well as an additional £16.5m of acquisitions currently in legals.