Demolition imminent for Northern Quarter building
The derelict 5 Back Turner Street in Manchester, a building within the boundaries of proposed development by Fred Done-backed developer Salboy, is to be felled following the issue of a demolition order.
Building surveyors from Manchester firm Renaissance Structural & Civil Engineering, brought into the site by Salboy as part of its plans to rework development proposals, had such concerns about the building’s integrity that they alerted the building control team at Manchester City Council. As the statutory body responsible, the council has issued a demolition order.
A spokesman for Salboy said: “We have been closely monitoring the condition of the warehouse building at 5 Back Turner Street. A full internal inspection has been challenging as it has been deemed unsafe to access the building internally, largely due to the condition of the floors and large areas of floor collapse.
“During their most recent visit to the site, our specialist surveyors were able to use cameras and other specialist equipment to investigate previously inaccessible areas of the building. This revealed that the internal collapse had escalated and raised very serious concerns about the structural stability of the building.
“We have acted on this information immediately and have been in close contact with Building Control at Manchester City Council. The decision has been taken that full demolition of the building is the only feasible option to secure the safety of the site and the surrounding area, and as such, we have made arrangements for the safe demolition of the building.”
The demolition team is to mobilise its operation today, with the actual process likely to start tomorrow morning, Place understands.
Salboy’s statement continued: “Demolition is expected to be complete within 24 hours. During this time road closures will need to be implemented on Back Turner Street and Soap Street. We will be working to minimise disturbance but understandably the safety of all involved, including our neighbours, is our top priority.”
“We wish to stress that the demolition of 5 Back Turner Street is solely the result of the professional advice we have received and our responsibility as a landowner for the safety of this site. This is entirely separate to the ongoing discussions about the future of the site, where we are committed to working with all local stakeholders to bring forward a new proposal that will bring this site back into active use.”
Earlier this month, Salboy launched a public consultation on proposals for a 50-apartment scheme at its Back Turner Street/High Street site. In February this year, its previous plan for the site, a 13-storey aparthotel to be operated by Zoku, was refused consent after three deferrals, officers having recommended approval each time.
Six buildings, including 5 Back Turner Street, along with 30 and 32 Shudehill, 1/3 Nicholas Croft, and 1 and 3 Back Turner Street, were to be demolished to enable the Zoku development.
Those proposals had attracted fierce opposition, mostly due to the height of the proposed building, with the project being slightly reworked before its final submission. The reaction today on social media to the emerging news at Back Turner Street today has been equally vociferous, with residents and other individuals calling the process into question.
Simon Ismail, director at Salboy, said on launching consultation for the reworked scheme: “We were naturally disappointed not to have previous proposals for Back Turner Street approved and we have worked hard to resolve the concerns raised.
“This revised residential scheme will provide the sort of homes not currently available in this neighbourhood, allowing people to put down roots and contribute to a growing community.”
Another part of the city’s unique heritage gone at the hands of rapacious developers 🙁 I don’t understand why/how the Council have let this happen.
By MancLad
Once again manchester council seem hell bent on getting rid of history…..As they did in collyhurSt
Manchester town centre is an eyesore…Nothing nice about it…!
By Sheila mccaig
Don’t you think we have lost to much of our history already,please don’t take any more
By Carol Cohen
Good, it’s been an eyesore for far too long, not a great building to begin with.
By NQ Resident
Nobody was anywhere to be seen while this building was rotting away for the last 30 years. If you’re only making a fuss about it now then I’m sorry to say you’re part of the problem.
By Anonymous
Agree with Anonymous. The way some on here carry on you would think they were bulldozing Durham cathedral.
By Laura Sherlock
Agree with anonymous and Laura Sherlock – this building isn’t listed, no one has clubbed together to buy it and save it if it was so important to people. More importantly the council hasn’t ‘let’ this fall down, they don’t own it, it is very rare for them to use their statutory powers to force someone to repair a building if its not listed. People need to get a grip or get organised, not lament change.
By Bradford
It’s not about how the buildings are valuable or not, it’s about how the council conveniently agreed that one was suddenly at risk of collapse, less than a day after Fred Done gets preliminary permission for his development. Usually it takes weeks for demolition to be arranged.
By Eunice Puceflange
This is utter bollocks. I work opposite this site and we watched the “officials” inspecting yesterday. They stood in the street and pointed from a distance. If the building was genuinely so unsafe it could collapse at any moment they would have had to cordon it off surely?! So how come I walked right past it on my way home today? They turned up this afternoon laying out barriers on the adjacent empty plot. Weeks ago they drilled boreholes presumably to test the ground for their disproportionately tall and incongruous building.
Speaking as one of the “neighbours” we’ve had no consultation or communication other than what we’ve read in public domains.
If they do intend to start demolition it’s news to us and will be hugely disruptive to the many local businesses and residents close to the site.
The building could be saved. They just don’t want to.
By Anonymous
Don’t let the developer tear down yet more of Manchester
By B
•••people critisise & ridicule the increasingly out of place Circle development on the corner of Portland Street and Oxford Road and it does look underwhelming in that area but it would be ideal for this plot of land in the Northern Quarter. Why can’t there be a low rise brick development similar to the Circle, which features on ground floor level a Casino and a couple of Bar/Grill/Eateries in addition to a Boots chemist & an Ibis. I’m sick of the same old, same old glass and concrete slab structures which have an ‘any city’ boring look to them.
By Bilderburg Attendee
“This revised residential scheme will provide the sort of homes not currently available in this neighbourhood, allowing people to put down roots and contribute to a growing community.”
HAHAHA! Provides the sort of homes not currently available in this neighbourhood? Are they having a laugh? Plenty of flats going up all across the city.
By NQ