Bruntwood SciTech kicks 220,000 sq ft Manchester office project into gear

Work to demolish the existing Alberton House is underway almost two years after the developer secured planning permission to build an 18-storey wellness-led workspace in its place.

Bruntwood SciTech has appointed contractor PP O’Connor to carry out the complex task of knocking down the 12-storey Alberton House, which is located next to the River Irwell within Manchester’s St Mary’s Parsonage regeneration zone.

The contractor is carrying out the internal strip-out work to level the site by next spring.

Once the vacant building has been dropped, the path will be clear to build Alberton, a 220,000 sq ft office scheme that features a rooftop pool and wellness centre, designed by EPR Architects.

A spokesperson for Bruntwood SciTech said: “We can confirm work to demolish the existing building on The Alberton site is now underway. Given the complex nature of the site, it has taken several months to get to this stage and works are expected to last well into next year. Further details on the next steps following this will follow in due course.”

The start of demolition work is a clear statement of intent from Bruntwood SciTech, however, when the construction of the new office will begin is likely to depend on the appetite of potential occupiers.

Given the uncertainty around office values at present, many developers are reticent to pull the trigger on projects unless they have a pre-let in place.

Chunky pre-lets have been few and far between in recent years, however, agents Place North West has spoken to claim there is still high demand for best-in-class office space in Manchester.

Research by Knight Frank found that there is a shortage of this type of space – the office vacancy rate in Manchester is below 3% with a lack of new space coming forward to meet demand.

Bruntwood SciTech’s Alberton is not the only project that has been slow to get going in this part of Manchester. Property Alliance Group, Investec, and Oval also have major projects afoot in the area that have secured planning permission but not yet started on site.