A pioneering Manchester building is pointing the way to the future of urban residential parking, Electric Vehicle charging, cycle storage, car hire and parcel delivery.

Manchester City Council’s Ancoats Mobility Hub is eight storeys of innovation clad in full height living green walls, at the heart of a key regeneration district.

The 400 car parking spaces include 102 provided with Electric Vehicle (EV) charging via 51 dual outlet CTEK CHARGESTORM CONNECTED charge stations, making it the largest CTEK installation in the UK to date.

The Ancoats Mobility Hub is managed for the City Council by APCOA, which runs 1.6 million individual parking spaces in 12 European countries.

Hundreds of photovoltaic panels on the Mobility Hub’s roof contribute to the electricity supply powering the EV charge points. The cycle hub has space for 150 bikes plus lockers and showers for riders.

The mobility hub’s roles include being a catalyst for planned and in progress development of residential apartment buildings within walking distance in Ancoats.

The vision is that apartment dwellers who have a car will park at the mobility hub, with those running an EV doing the majority of their charging there at times that suit fast AC charging including overnight. A car hire service also based at the Mobility Hub is plugging into the EV charging.

The rationale follows the City Council’s vision of reduced on-street and off-street surface parking, to create cleaner and greener communities more welcoming for pedestrians and cyclists.

Some of the residential developments are reserving parking spaces at the Mobility Hub for their future residents. EV drivers are able to pay for both their parking and charging via QR codes and through APCOA’s app.

CTEK, the reigning Chargepoint Manufacturer of the Year at the UK Electric Vehicle Innovation & Excellence Awards, was selected by APCOA as the charge point supplier for Ancoats Mobility Hub.

CHARGESTORM CONNECTED charge points are available with dual outlets, meaning Ancoats Mobility Hub can charge up to 102 EVs from its 51 charge stations which are distributed throughout the parking levels.

APCOA is dedicated to delivering comprehensive 24/7 customer support from the UK, with its support teams in Wigan trained on the CTEK charge points to remotely resolve any problems quickly and fully.

Kim Challis, APCOA Regional Managing Director UK&I, said: “We are proud to manage this prestigious, first-of-its-kind Mobility Hub in partnership with Manchester City Council.

“By partnering with CTEK, we have been able to provide a substantial amount of robust and reliable EV chargepoints for a growing community of EV drivers needing off-street charging.”

Leader of the Council Bev Craig said: “The Ancoats Mobility Hub is a central piece of neighbourhood infrastructure that will help to put people at the heart of this community, rather than car traffic.

“Rather than being a car park or cycle store, last mile delivery hub and new commercial space, this development is a blueprint for how we can create cleaner, greener communities – with few cars and more space for people to enjoy their space in a more peaceful, safer setting.”

Viktors Nikolajevs, UK Key Account Manager at CTEK, said: “Ancoats Mobility Hub is a tremendous facility which encourages cycling and replaces demand for on-street parking with near-home EV charging.

“It is an exemplary project which addresses future needs of urban mobility and CTEK is very proud to be playing a role in its innovations.”