Since moving out of the very centre of town, living at ALTO has been an absolute treat. The flats all either have a Juliet balcony or a full balcony, the courtyard is a well utilised social space and there’s always people out enjoying it, but never antisocial in the early hours!
There’s a real mix of people living here, of all different ages – parents with kids, professionals from 20s to 60s, and a real local community vibe with the Facebook group!
The different blocks vary in facilities – B, C and D all have garbage chutes but A doesn’t and only has one lift (but is only 5 floors). Block D has the concierge but is accessible to all and post is delivered and kept there. The concierge offers free printing and they’re really helpful with parcels, returns and pickups etc. All buildings have car parks underneath, both internal and external, and there is a safe bike shed inside block A’s internal car park too.
Flats themselves are outfitted with great quality fixed furnishings as standard with soft close on everything, plenty of cupboard space both in kitchen and airing cupboard with washer/dryer and generous storage space, dishwashers in kitchen, large fridge freezer, electric hob and oven with chimney, very efficient ventilation system, large boilers, non-electric showers, and all 2 bed flats come with master & ensuite with shower, decent sized second bedroom and main bathroom with bath. I could however complain about the door layout in the main bedrooms leaving a bunch of dead space unless you juggle the furnishings around a bit.
Views differ from each building, D is a 17 floor tower with views to all sides, while A and C both look into the courtyard at their respective fronts, with the back of A looking to a car park in the grounds and while the back of C looks towards the Audacious Church to the north. Block B is in the middle of the development with views towards the old Cook St Brewery to the back and car park to the front.
Hyperlocal amenities are slightly lacking, there is an NHS docs and a small convenience store (which stocks some absolute basics) right outside the south gates, a few local pubs within stumbling distance that apparently don’t come recommended, but for much more than that you have to walk over the river onto Deansgate/Market Street.
Building designs and layouts are really lovely – slightly aged looking cladding bricks on the exterior, the layout is really designed to maximise the amount of sunlight in the courtyard through the gap on the west side between the tower block D and the shorter block A compared to the others to allow more evening sun. My only gripes are that the layout can however create a bit of a wind funnel on gustier days, and I believe block A at the very least is made of timber frame construction which makes the floors slightly bouncy and the walls (including the exterior!) hollow. That being said, they’re very well insulated and keep the heat in VERY well.
Overall it’s a lovely, sunny, open, bright space with a social community vibe. Still feels like being on holiday 2 months in!
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Well designed secure courtyard and grounds with a fountain, convenience store right out of the gates, walking distance to centre.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
– There’s only one poorly-stocked convenience store in the local vicinity so you’ll have to walk about 5-10 minutes for anything more.
– There’s a charity clothes bin in Block C!
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Zenith have an app to report issues and so far it’s been pretty efficient; though they are refusing to take out some furnishings that we have duplicates of because of COVID.
