Approval nears for Speakers House and Ronaldo hotel

A 150-bedroom hotel in Piccadilly backed by Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kames Property Income Fund’s 135,000 sq ft Deansgate office block are tipped for consent by Manchester City Council next week. 


Pestana CR7 Hotel 

Pestana CR7

The hotel is backed by former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo

Developer: Southern Estates – a joint venture between Eastern Estates and Pestana Hotels 

Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley 

Planner: Deloitte Real Estate  

Landowner Eastern Green and Portuguese hotel operator Pestana are seeking permission to build a 150-bedroom hotel close to Piccadilly Gardens under the Cristiano Ronaldo-backed CR7 brand.

The four-star Manchester hotel would be created by converting the grade two-listed Halls Building at 67-75 Piccadilly.  

The redeveloped building would stand at 11 storeys tall and include ground floor retail and leisure uses and new public realm along Newton Street. 

The adjacent 67 Piccadilly, known as the Prince of Wales building because it was previously occupied by the Prince of Wales Life and Educational Assurance Company, would be demolished to make way for the scheme. 

Another building, 4-6 Newton Street, would be demolished under the plans revealed in June. Both buildings have been vacant for some time. 

The site is located within the Stevenson Square Conservation Area at a key entry point into Manchester’s Northern Quarter, with frontage onto Piccadilly. 

The most notable tenant on the plot is the Piccadilly Tavern pub on the ground floor of 71-75 Piccadilly. The pub operator is expected to retain the unit and reopen once the project completes. 

Pestana Hotels operates other hotels under different brands in London but this would be its first outside the UK capital. 

There are currently two Pestana CR7 hotels, and both are in Portugal. One is in Madeira, where Ronaldo was born, and the other is in Lisbon. 


Speakers House 

39 Deansgate

The Deansgate scheme is designed by architect Sheppard Robson

Developer: Kames Property Income Fund, part of Aegon Asset Management  

Architect: Sheppard Robson 

Planner: CBRE 

The developer is to demolish the existing buildings at 39 Deansgate and build a £40m, 17-storey office block. 

Objectors have raised concerns over the height of the 135,000 sq ft scheme and the potential impact of Kames’ proposals on nearby heritage assets, including the St Ann’s Square Conservation Area and Barton Arcade, next to the site.   

Although heritage body Historic England lodged its “concerns”, planning officers said that the building would have a “neutral impact” on the area.

Built in 1963, Speakers House is nine storeys tall and has seven commercial units on the ground floor.   

The building underwent a superficial refurbishment in 2013 but has been described by officers as “in a poor state…lacking new infrastructure such as superfast broadband”, with inefficient floorplates and low floor-to-ceiling heights.

Its tenants include Greggs, Spar and The Flight Centre, as well as developers Investar Property Group and City Living. 

A spokesperson for CBRE, Kames’ planning consultant, said it was “undertaking a relocation strategy” for the existing tenants, engaging in dialogue with all occupiers and working with them as required.   

The project team also includes Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture, Planit-IE, GIA, Renaissance, EDPI, BWB Consulting and Curtins. 

Manchester City Council’s planning committee meets to discuss the applications next Thursday.

39 Deansgate

The existing Speakers House would be demolished under the proposals

 

Your Comments

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Two really good-looking schemes. Look forward to seeing them delivered.

By YIMBY

Both look great.

By Thumbs Up

These are two of the best new schemes in Manchester and actually complement the surrounding area.

By Jon P

Both absolutely amazing schemes and will be real assets to the city. They should sail through planning with no problems. The one in Piccadilly is one of the best I’ve seen for Manchester – as someone who works in the area that corner is very much in need of development.

By Bob

Two great schemes located on prominent corner locations. I really like how the Speakers House scheme looks to line up with existing floors at Barton House and complements it far better than the existing building.

By Anonymous

These are definitely two of the better schemes being developed in Manchester at the moment.

By Nve

Great looking proposals – let’s hope that they both get built.

By Anonymous

Wow. These both look fantastic in terms of design and scale. Lets hope they sail through at committee and end up getting built!

By Dave

Speakers House needs to be built. The Piccadilly scheme looks decent but they should have retained the building on Newton Street which is far superior.

By Observer

Two of the best schemes in Manchester in quite a while – both of these will, I reckon, really animate their respective parts of the city. Whatever happens to the Renaissance site, the Deansgate scheme sets a high benchmark. Great detailing on both developments – here’s hoping they are both passed and built out.

By Steve Webberley

To echo a lot of the comments below, these are two great proposals. Well done to all involved with both applications. Great quality. Get them built, Manchester.

By Matt Pickering

Two architecturally appealing schemes that will add significantly to the character of Manchester. Looking forward to seeing them both come to fruition.

By Jolly Good Show

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