Plans for the Trinity Island site were first lodged in 2017. Credit: via planning documents

Final sign-off for Renaker’s 2,000-home skyscrapers

Manchester City Council handed down a decision notice for the £741m Trinity Islands on Friday, paving the way for work to start on the four-tower neighbourhood. 

Renaker is now preparing to start construction of the 2,000-home, four-tower scheme, more than five years after plans for the Trinity Islands site were first proposed by Allied London. 

Renaker took control of the site in late 2018 and set about reworking Allied’s scheme, which had proposed 1,400 apartments across four towers. 

Another three years passed before Renaker lodged its revised plans with the city council last December. 

The updated iteration of Trinity Islands, which reaches 60 storeys at its tallest point, was approved by Manchester City Council’s planning committee in February. 

The SimpsonHaugh-designed towers will be delivered across two 2.2-acre plots on the River Irwell, divided by Trinity Way.  

The plot located east of Trinity Way would house two diamond-form skyscrapers with a crystalline façade.  

One tower would be 39 storeys, with 414 apartments. The other would be 48 storeys and have 521 apartments. 

Work on this half of the scheme could finish by September 2026. 

The plot to the west of Trinity Way is earmarked for two towers with curved facades. 

One is 55 storeys with 483 apartments, while the other is 60 storeys with 532 apartments. 

This phase of the project could finish in early 2031. 

 The project team for Trinity Islands includes: 

  • Deloitte – planning 
  • SimpsonHaugh – architecture 
  • Ensafe – air quality 
  • TPM – landscape architect 
  • WSP – climate change and wind microclimate 
  • GIA – daylight, sunlight and overshadowing and solar glare 
  • Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture – heritage 
  • Matt Fisher – noise and vibration 
  • Ekosgen – socio-economic issues 
  • Chris Burnett Associates – townscape and visual impact 
  • Vectos – traffic and transport 
  • Curtins Consulting – water resources 

Looking to learn more? The application’s reference number with Manchester City Council is 132429/FO/2021. 

Your Comments

Read our comments policy

Pah!…sixty stories….we already have sixty stories…should’ve been eighty!

By Anonymous

Would people really want to live in a luxury apartment right next to Regent Rd?

By Anonymous

Knowing Renaker these will be up in no time. Another great scheme providing houses on waste land in a city instead of on green belt. Excellent all round.

By Bob

Can’t wait for the round ones. Manchester will look incredible with the contrast of towers and Victoriana.

By Hobson

It’s a great project, can’t really fault it, I just wish all 4 towers were 150m+! Could easily get an extra 100 apartments on those sites for young professionals in the city.

By MC

Great news , about time they got on with these and get some density to the area. This area and Greengate are clearly the right place to build towers , away from the civic quarter and indeed the Northern quarter. I like the old as well.

By Anonymous

How many influencers can one city house?

By Cal

Since when did more tall buildings equal a more attractive city or even a more wealthy one?.Other European cities don’t seem to have the same obsession with tall buildings and most of them are richer than Manchester.Paris and St Petersburg with zero tower blocks in central area are far more beautiful and popular with tourist as well.

By Angela Roberts

Never dreamed 10 years ago there would be so many talls in Manchester. Get me more towers!

By Mordor

Well it looks like this means well have two towers now of around 200m. Time to press on. 250m + next time with a statement pediment would do nicely.

By Pedro

I hope there will be continued demand if there is a recession

By Anonymous

I feel like something is missing but not sure what

By Balcony warrior

Paris or St Petersburg? What nonsense. Every city in the UK outside London desperately needs to attract investment, offices, housing, transport and jobs. Irrelevant comparisons mean nothing in the light of how those Cities developed.

By Anonymous

What people seem to forget is that Manchester is tiny geographically. ……about 20 miles north to south and about 3 miles wide!!! It just isn’t as big as Paris or St Peterberg. If we don’t want to build on the green belt, the only way is up

By Anonymous

I wonder why the Section 106 has not been uploaded to MCC’s planning web site?!

By Anonymous

Anonymous 12.19pm, if that were the case then London would only build in the city and thats only 1 square mile. Common sense please!

By anonymous

As if someone is comparing Paris and St Peters to Manchester. They’re completely different cities with different levels of funding and economies. Not that Manchester shouldn’t learn from other cities but it has to achieve things differently. That’s why some people like it, it’s not a pretty seaside town. However from an outsiders perspective it should also try to keep more heritage and character than what it’s currently losing. And the greenspace situation in the city centre is borderline shocking. The fact that commenters on this website aren’t phased by it and would rather have a rubbish office is really odd.

By Anonymous

2000 apartments means 2000 parking spaces right? RIGHT? Obviously all future proofed with EV charging points right? RIGHT?

By Bernard Fender

Not exactly the Waldorf Astoria Miami is it?

By Bernard Fender

Err No Bernard, it’s not Catherine the Great’s Winter Palace either, nor the Taj Mahal. I don’t think it’s meant to be.it’s still going to look good on that corner though.

By Anonymous

2000 EV charging points? I think you’ve rather missed the point of city centre apartment living.

By JohnnyObvious

A pretty seaside town you say? Hmm no you’re right it’s not . The problem with pretty seaside towns is that they tend to be grossly underfunded, struggle to attract jobs and because of this when you look closely they’re really not that pretty. That’s hardly a look Manchester is following us it? As for heritage and character, they are hardly pulling down Rylands library or laying waste to The Kimpton clock tower hotel. Manchester is an ever growing city centre and utilising dead sites to grow is one reason for its huge success. Failure to grow for a city is simply failure, and there are enough examples of that throughout the Northwest as it is.

By Anonymous

Anonymous is right about the lack of green space, it is becoming a standing joke. Hopefully Victoria Riverside will do something to alleviate the miserable green space experience in Manchester. I wonder in that area though, how long that just becomes another fridge graveyard.

By Elephant

Related Articles

Sign up to receive the Place Daily Briefing

Join more than 13,000+ property professionals and receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Join more than 13,000+ property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Job Field*
Other Regional Publications - Select below
Your Location*