The Willows

  • Location

    Wythenshawe, Manchester

  • Contract Value

    c.£4.3m.

  • People
The Brief

The Willows is a £4.3m development of 34 homes in Northern Moor, Manchester, delivered for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group with contractor Casey. Completed in 2022, it replaces the former Alfred Morris Court sheltered housing scheme with a mix of social rent, shared ownership and private sale homes.

Supported by more than £800,000 of Homes England funding, the scheme comprises 23 one- and two-bedroom apartments for social rent, six three-bedroom shared ownership houses and five three- and four-bedroom houses for outright sale through Garden City Homes.

Award-winning mixed tenure housing

Affordable and private homes, offering choice at every stage of life.

Our Role

BTP acted as Lead Architect, designing a contemporary residential development that responds to its prominent corner setting and Wythenshawe’s Garden City character.

We developed the layout, building forms and architectural detailing, balancing the varied housing mix with retained mature trees, landscaped amenity space and parking. Working closely with Casey, consultants and Building Control, we coordinated technical solutions to the apartment building’s complex geometry, including roofing, weathering, ventilation and fire stopping.

Contemporary design with Garden City roots

Our award-winning design responds to Wythenshawe’s Garden City character, combining carefully stepped building heights with retained mature trees and generous landscaped spaces.

Design Development

Our design responds to the prominent corner site with a curved apartment building that addresses the roundabout and establishes frontages onto Sale Road and Fellpark Road. Stepping the height between two, three and four storeys allowed us to emphasise the corner while moderating the building’s scale beside existing housing. The houses extend the street frontage along Fellpark Road and into the site.

We articulated the apartment elevations through angled brickwork, curtain walling and large window openings, balancing the building’s geometry with daylight to the interiors. Individual external entrances to ground-floor apartments establish a direct relationship with the street and clearly define the threshold between public and private space.

Retaining mature trees informed the layout and helped connect the development with Wythenshawe’s Garden City character. We integrated communal landscaping, private gardens and parking around the buildings, accommodating vehicles within the site while limiting their prominence in the streetscape.

Delivery required asbestos remediation of the former sheltered housing complex and careful coordination around restricted construction access and retained trees. The apartment building’s angled footprint presented particular roof construction challenges. Working with the project team, we developed a solution combining prefabricated trusses with traditionally constructed sections, using heavy-duty girder hangers at the angled junctions.

Changes in building height required detailed coordination of stepped cavities, roof abutments and weathering to maintain protection against water ingress. Automatic opening vents were relocated to the end stairwells to provide more practical maintenance access, while ventilation and fire-stopping details were resolved with Building Control.

A fabric-first approach

We specified increased insulation in floors, walls and roofs alongside upgraded windows, improving thermal performance beyond the Building Regulations requirements at the time. Secure cycle storage and electric vehicle charging points support lower-carbon travel.

Outcomes

The Willows has transformed a former sheltered housing site into 34 mixed-tenure homes, combining affordable housing with family homes for sale within an established community. 

Its stepped corner building, active street frontages and landscaped spaces create a distinctive residential setting while responding to the surrounding neighbourhood. Strong demand saw more than 400 expressions of interest, with all private sale homes sold off-plan shortly after launch. 

The completed scheme won the 2022 LABC North West Award for Best Large Social Housing Development and progressed to the national finals, recognising the quality achieved through close collaboration between the design, construction and Building Control teams. 

James Garner

Wythenshawe Community Housing Group

"BTP were able to manage the complexities of the project through their skill and expertise, designing an award-winning housing scheme on a challenging site."

  • Read bio
    Director

    Manuel Atkinson

    BA (Hons), M.Arch, ARB, RIBA, Dip.DEA

    Director

    Manuel Atkinson

    BA (Hons), M.Arch, ARB, RIBA, Dip.DEA

    I joined BTP in 2008, qualified as an Architect in 2013, and progressed to Director in 2017. Over my career, I’ve built extensive expertise across the full range of design criteria for housing, later living, and care environments, including HQI, DQS, Lifetime Homes, HAPPI, NDSS, and Building Regulations accessibility standards.

    Sustainability is a core part of my professional focus. I am an accredited Energy Assessor for both new-build and existing homes (OCDEA / DEA) as well as a certified Home Quality Mark Assessor and PAS2035 Retrofit Designer / Assessor. Within BTP, I lead many of our sustainability initiatives; developing strategies to help clients realise their ambitions, meet zero-carbon targets, and align with the Future Homes Standard.

    Since 2013, I have also played a key role in enhancing BTP’s BIM (Building Information Modelling) capability. I have achieved multiple BRE qualifications, including ISO 19650 accreditation, enabling me to manage BIM processes and workflows effectively across our projects.

    In 2024, I joined the RIBA Principal Designer Register, gaining Principal Designer status with High‑Risk Building (HRB) expertise for both CDM and Building Regulations following rigorous training and examination. I now act as Building Regulations Principal Designer across a range of new‑build and refurbishment schemes, providing trusted guidance to clients and development teams.

    My advanced knowledge of BIM, sustainability, and the Building Safety Act also sees me deliver regular training, CPD sessions, and workshops for Registered Providers and contractors.

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    Architect

    Oli Martin

    BA(Hons), M.Arch, ARB

    Architect

    Oli Martin

    BA(Hons), M.Arch, ARB

    I am an ARB-registered Architect at BTP Architects, primarily working on new-build residential, social housing and extra-care projects. I hold a BA (Hons) and M.Arch from Liverpool John Moores University and joined BTP in 2022, qualifying as an architect in 2024.

    My approach is grounded in clarity, proportion and considered design. I am interested in housing that is composed and enduring, architecture that prioritises long-term value and resident wellbeing over fashion or novelty. For me, good residential design is measured, durable and carefully integrated within its wider community.

    I am developing in the role of Project Architect and have particular strength in drawing and technical coordination across all RIBA stages. I enjoy the analytical side of projects, testing layouts, refining detail and working through complex requirements to arrive at clear, buildable solutions that respond to both client and community needs. I have also begun contributing to projects involving Higher Risk Buildings, engaging with the evolving regulatory framework and its implications for residential design.

    Outside of practice, I enjoy spending time with my family, travelling and listening to podcasts focused on history, politics and wellbeing. I am also a lifelong supporter of Liverpool F.C.

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    Architectural Assistant

    Dominic Rhodes

    BA(Hons)

    Architectural Assistant

    Dominic Rhodes

    BA(Hons)

    I joined BTP in September 2024 having graduating from the University of Huddersfield. My previous work with a conservation contractor gave me practical experience on site, including traditional lime mortar repairs at Little Moreton Hall.

    Since joining BTP, I’ve worked on projects ranging from new-build housing to a major re-roofing scheme at the Grade II-listed Bootle Town Hall. I’m continuing to build my experience while studying part-time for my master’s degree at the University of Lincoln.

    Outside of the office, I enjoy going to the gym, playing golf and padel, as well as listening to vinyls from my ever-growing collection.

Collaborators Learn more
  • Contractor

    View Details +

    Casey

  • Structural Engineers

    View Details +

    WML Consulting Ltd

  • Employers Agent

    View Details +

    Identity Consult

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