Limiting a city’s greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to a changing climate takes focus and leadership from a range of expertise. In Manchester’s case, this comes in the form of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership (MCCP).

It’s formed of 24 members representing 80 organisations and 45,000 employees from across the city's public, private and voluntary sections – from sustainable construction to smart technologies and green energy to name a few. And with Manchester council also a member of the partnership, it has targets to reduce the city’s direct emissions by 50 per cent by 2025 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2038.

To reach this target, exciting plans are in place to make every inch of the city accessible by bike, foot or public transport, bring unused sites back to life, and build new, more efficient buildings.

“Sustainable buildings are a big part of this vision,” says Deloitte’s Michael Percival, who manages the MCCP sub-group advising on sustainable building and planning and leading net-zero planning policies for the entire city.

“Much of our built environment wasn’t designed with sustainability in mind. But we can change our approach by planning for new buildings to be greener. That’s what our role on the MCCP is all about: helping to make sure new developments consider the environment, and social factors more broadly.

“Being an active member of the partnership gives us insight into the challenges of delivering net-zero carbon development across a city. From finance and funding to technology, we can share this insight with others on a similar journey and help apply to ground-breaking projects all over the city.”

In east Manchester, next to Manchester City’s stadium on the Etihad Campus, Co-op Live offers a £365 million investment into the area. It is a joint venture between Oak View Group (OVG) and City Football Group, alongside investors including Harry Styles, and Co-op as naming rights partner. Together, they set out to create one of the world’s most sustainable arenas.

“Co-op Live aims to set an example of how the city should continue to grow sustainably and work towards Manchester City Council’s climate objectives,” says Co-op Live executive director and general manager, Gary Roden.

“As well as being climate friendly and built using local suppliers, important goals for the project include generating significant local operational and construction jobs. Alongside a positive economic impact of £1.5bn, Co-op Live will also raise at least £1 million annually through the Co-op Foundation for national and local causes.”

Jennifer Chatfield, senior planner, real estate advisory at Deloitte adds: “Our role on the project has been supporting OVG with the coordination and submission of the planning application for the arena and the ultimate aim is for Co-op Live to achieve the higher BREEAM accreditation – a standard for sustainability credentials that allows comparison with others.

“It’s been brilliant to work on the project since its initial planning stages, and watching it take shape. This will help to create both a cultural and sustainable hub for the city, contributing to Manchester’s wider sustainability commitments.”

Mayfield Park is a new, luscious oasis that’s blossoming in the heart of Manchester, with over 100,000 plants, flowers, and trees. But it didn’t occur by chance.

Opened in September 2022, it’s built on a former dyeworks site that was unused for decades and it’s Manchester’s first public park to open in over 100 years. Now it’s been brought back to life as part of the MCCP’s regeneration scheme.

The river Medlock flowing alongside the park has been uncovered and rejuvenated, new wildlife and wetlands are encouraging biodiversity. And paying homage to the site’s former heritage, and with a circular economy mindset, reclaimed and repurposed bricks salvaged from the 1960s warehouses have also been incorporated in its design

“Mayfield has become an exemplar of brownfield regeneration – and with nature at the heart of the park’s recovery, it’s set the tone for how the rest of the city’s development should move forward in the future,” says Michael.

“It’s a great example of businesses and the public sector working together to help bring tangible benefits to a city.

“Hearing Manchester’s leaders talk about the jobs Mayfield has created and its potential to support growth and a better quality of life for the communities it benefits is exactly the kind of feedback that planning teams want to hear.”