General Projects makes changes to Electric Park 

The 500,000 sq ft Manchester office project was approved in 2020 and the developer is now seeking to tweak plans for the five-building cluster to make the scheme more “adaptable and commercially robust”. 

General Projects has lodged an application with Manchester City Council to make a host of changes to the approved Electric Park plans, ahead of a start on site later this year or early next. 

The changes concern the three buildings that make up the first phase of the five-acre development.  

The amendments have been made in response to changing occupier demands since the project was approved and aim to allow the scheme to “withstand changes in tenant requirements or commercial occupiers”, according to a planning statement prepared by Deloitte. 

The changes proposed by General Projects include: 

• An increase in lettable space by 8,500 sq ft 
• Change to the proposed colour scheme of building A from red to green 
• Change to floor-to-floor height to allow for new M&E system 
• Change in the size and design of the reception areas 
• A decrease in the number of parking spaces from 222 to 193  
• A rationalisation of the internal circulation core to provide a more suitable layout for an increased number of tenants.

One of the main changes sees building A change from red to green. Credit: via planning documents

“The proposed amendments will make sure that the socio-economic benefits of the proposed development are realised through providing the most suitable and attractive spaces for potential tenants, thereby maximising capacity and economic output,” according to Deloitte. 

The project team for Electric Park, which will cost £83m to build, includes Hawkins\Brown as architect, Planit-IE and Civic Engineers.

The scheme is anticipated to provide approximately 2,400 jobs and involves the redevelopment of a five-acre area of green space close to the New Islington Metrolink station. The area, known informally as New Islington Green, is used by dog walkers. The prospect of the green space being built on attracted opposition from local residents.