Aviva tables revised plans for 400,000 sq ft Manchester industrial
Having had an earlier proposal rejected in 2023, the investor will be hoping updated plans to redevelop the former Ferranti electronics factory close to the airport will be looked upon more favourably.
Aviva wants to construct 400,000 sq ft of industrial space split between five units on the corner of Styal Road and Simonsway.
Having made a series of changes to the original plan, which encroached on the Green Belt, Aviva consulted on the proposals earlier this year.
In rejecting the 2023 version of the scheme, Manchester City Council also said Aviva has failed to prove that the development would not affect the “operational integrity or safety of Manchester Airport”.
The revised plans see the Green Belt element removed and the scheme nudged westwards to preserve the protected land.
As a result, the site of the proposed development now incorporates the vacant 90,000 sq ft former Vodafone building, which would be demolished under Aviva’s plans. The plot is also slightly smaller this time around, measuring 19 acres compared to 23 under the original plans.
Turley is advising on planning, heritage, strategic comms, and economics. Hale Architecture, BEA Landscape, Ridge, and project manager Christopher Smith Associates are also advising.
To learn more, search for reference number PLA-2026-002082 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
