Consent for leisure scheme on 40-storey Manchester tower site

Fairfield Social Club will occupy a plot on Irk Street earmarked for a skyscraper for the next two years.

Manchester City Council has granted planning approval for the destination, which falls within the red line of Far East Consortium’s Victoria North masterplan.

A report by Manchester’s planning team said the development would “play a key role in raising the profile of this area of the city, creating interest in the site and positively promoting the site and wider area ahead of its future redevelopment”.

The leisure scheme features indoor and outdoor bars and a 300-person capacity events space. Fairfield Social Club, which originated at Mayfield, is due to open in March.

The venture is aimed at activating the site while plans for its long-term redevelopment are reworked.

The site forms part of FEC’s £235m MeadowSide scheme and benefits from planning permission for a 40-storey tower known as Peak. Approval for this scheme was granted in August 2018.

FEC has already delivered more than 400 homes across three buildings at MeadowSide. The developer said it still plans to deliver a tall building on the site, known as plot four.

FEC told Place North West last year that its longer-term plans for a tower on the plot “are not affected” by the meanwhile use proposals.

The concept comes from the team behind Manchester street food company GRUB and would play host to film screenings, burlesque nights, live music performances, and more.

Located next to Angel Meadows, Fairfield Social Club would feature three distinct spaces.

• The Garden – a 150-capacity beer garden described as “Manchester’s greenest”
• The Shed – an 80-person indoor bar
• The Club – a 300-capacity venue for live performances.

Fairfield Social Club will be a temporary venture and forms part of Far East Consortium’s efforts to drive footfall at Victoria North – the 390-acre regeneration project the developer is delivering for the city council – through meanwhile uses.

Asteer Planning advised Fairfield Social Club.

Shilpa Lakhanpal, asset manager at FEC, said: “Projects like Fairfield Social Club are so important for us to help build the connection between Manchester city centre, and its surrounding communities, ahead of delivering thousands of new homes. Our ambition is to make sure these unique and exciting venues help put these areas on the map and showcase Manchester’s equally uniquely talented, warm and friendly hospitality industry as they continue to grow.”

Georgina Blackburn, senior planner at Asteer, said: “Fairfield Social Club will be a relaxed, laid back, inclusive space suitable for guests who just want to pop in for a pint in the sun as well as for people who are looking for a unique dining experience. It will transform what is an accessible and vacant brownfield site into a vibrant destination which can be enjoyed by Manchester’s residents ahead of the site’s future redevelopment.”

It will temporarily occupy the site on Irk Street, which has extant planning permission for a residential-led development as part of the  MeadowSide development, which will deliver 756 new homes over the coming years.”

This week FEC and Savills launched the sales for Falcon, a 20-storey residential scheme that forms part of the Red Bank neighbourhood at Victoria North. The scheme also features the Clubhouse, an amenity building that will feature a residents’ lounge, co-working space, fitness and wellness suite, and restaurant.