Construction has finished on Embassy Village, a new community of homes and support spaces built beneath transformed railway arches in Castlefield, Manchester.
Developed by the charity Embassy on land provided by Peel Waters, the project delivers 40 fully furnished homes with private entrances, alongside communal facilities including a village hall, sports area and gardens designed to foster wellbeing and independence.
More than 130 businesses contributed pro-bono expertise or donated materials to bring the project to completion, with partners including Capital & Centric and Vermont Construction Group, the latter of whom delivered the build at no profit.
Funding included a £3.5 million donation from The Moulding Foundation and £1.7 million in Brownfield Development Funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, supplemented by support from foundations such as Garfield Weston and Benefact Trust.
Designed as a purpose-built environment to help people transition out of homelessness with dignity, residents will receive weekly personalised support in areas such as budgeting, cooking and work readiness in addition to having their own living space.
The outdoor areas have been planted with more than 1,800 plants to enhance wellbeing and community spirit. In addition to financial funding, many key components of the build have been donated to keep costs down, including all of the windows, air source heat pumps, bed frames and furniture.
Sid Williams, Director, Embassy Charity, said: “To reach the completion of the village build is incredible. For six years we’ve been carrying this vision and to finally stand in it is amazing… I have been so humbled by over 130 organisations, mostly local businesses who’ve given funds, people, time and materials to get this done. It’s nothing short of a quiet miracle under the arches.”
James Whittaker, Managing Director, Peel Waters, said: “Watching Embassy Village reach completion is one of the proudest moments of my career. Walking through the finished homes and seeing this once‑forgotten space transformed into a place of safety, dignity and hope is incredibly moving.”
Tim Heatley, co-founder at Capital&Centric, and Chair of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, also added: “This project began with a repurposed bus and a belief in people. Today’s launch isn’t the finish line, it’s the beginning of the real work ahead.”
Find out more about Embassy Village.
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