Glenbrook wins rare Northern Quarter development opportunity
Manchester City Council has selected the developer to deliver 300-homes on the site of the Church Street multi-storey car park ahead of underbidders ASK and McLaren.
Glenbrook’s proposal for the 1.5-acre site, designed by Tim Groom Architects, will feature 20% affordable provision, in line with the city council’s aspirations.
The new neighbourhood will also feature four public squares and green spaces, a flexible community and gallery space, and commercial units for local independent businesses and food and beverage outlets.
“The Church St site represents a unique opportunity in the heart of the Northern Quarter, a neighbourhood and community that is alive with energy and creativity, and Glenbrook is delighted to play an important role in its future growth,” said Ian Sherry, director at Glenbrook.
“To be selected as the council’s preferred purchaser is a huge accomplishment for our entire project team, who have all immersed themselves in the submission. We look forward to jointly delivering an outstanding project for the Northern Quarter community and supporting the city’s continued growth agenda that confidently projects its future as a globally recognised destination.”
- Credit: via MCC
- Credit: via MCC
Developers were put on alert for the opportunity, branded St Paul’s after the church that once stood on the site, last year.
CBRE was instructed to run the bidding process and bids were submitted by the end of February. Manchester City Council will sell the site to Glenbrook subject to completed legal agreements and planning permission.
Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig said Glenbrook’s selection would bring an end to the site’s eyesore status.
“For too long the Church Street car park has been a barrier to the ongoing success of the Northern Quarter. We want to bring forward a world-class development that has the potential to completely transform this part of the neighbourhood, together with the newest city centre public squares and green spaces.”
She added: “As part of this, we want to make sure that the businesses that make their home here reflect the independent ethos of this community, complementing and helping to enhance the wider neighbourhood. As such, this development will also celebrate the distinct architectural heritage of the Northern Quarter and honour the history of the area.
“We felt Glenbrook shared these ambitions, understood how the development of this site should sit within its context, and create a new neighbourhood that supports the ongoing success of the Northern Quarter and the wider city centre.”
The car park is located at the gateway to the Northern Quarter. Credit: Google Earth
A great partner for a great site. Let’s get on with it! Belter
By Anonymous
The buildings actually look great. It will be a massive improvement. I do hope that the big tress on Hilton/Thomas street stay though because if they went it would be a massive loss and a failure of the architects to work around them. Other than that… looking good !
By D Walker
Has a real Brooklyn vibe to this. An excellent scheme. I was concerned if this would have been a missed opportunity but no.
By Rye
That massing along Hilton Street is wildly out of keeping and definitely needs to be stepped down. Otherwise from the visuals it makes sense and the sooner the car park is gone the better.
By Anonymous
Amazing!!! cant wait to see this!!
By Anonymous
Love it- really good proposal
By Tom
Might be a terrible eye sore but it’s great for parking in when nipping into town – not expensive and too tight to end up with big cars in
By JAB
Nice design! Much better than the monotony of SimpsonHaugh we’re used to having to face!
I hope the landscape in the visual can be delivered too! Much nicer than what’s there at present!
By New mancunian
Tim Groom showing other Mancunian architects that the world has moved on from 2005-esque checkerboard nonsense
By Anonymous
Tim Groom Architects never disappoint. Fantastic!
By jrb
less parking = fewer shoppers and diners
By Anonymous
About time too – that car park has been a blot on the city landscape for far too long. Thsnk goodness something is being done about it. Just need Piccadilly
‘Gardens’ sorting now and the many rogues removed from it too.
By Rodders
It absolutely amazing design I love it, I can’t wait to see it before I dead lol
By G J Kitchener
The Kabana will be doing a roaring trade whilst this is getting built !
By Grimly Fiendish
Nice, just give the ground floor some arches instead in a contrasting brick and it would be perfect. There.. I helped.
By Jim Boom
Tim Groom Architects are fantastic they actually put effort into design.
By Mike
Fantastic. get it built
By Sam
Looks great, can the Arndale multistory carpark be demolished next please.
By Anonymous
A massive design opportunity missed.
By Tannoy
Looks brilliant, get Tim Groom to fix all of Peel and Renaker’s ugly schemes
By Anonymous
Not a bad looking scheme: Some multi-pane fenestration would have elevated this even more IMHO.
By Heritage Action
I remember this car park from way back in the day when I used to visit the errm…magazine shops on Tib St. The nostalgic part of me will miss it but the realistic part of me would dismantle it piece by piece if i could. I like what’s replacing it though, with a few changes a decent design. Now can we move just down the rd to the Arndale next. I remember them constructing that and peering through the hoardings thinking..’wow, that’s a big hole’. Over 50 years later I look at it and think exactly the same .
By Pugins Ghost
Tim Groom cladding fans out in force in the comments. Must say they get a lot of credit for specifying materials that they have little control over whether they’re constructable or affordable. They’re only as good as the developer and contractor team who will deliver the schem and take on the construction risk.
By Anonymous
Appoint Tim Groom Architects to win a bidding contest. Viability issues will creep up and the developer will have to lower the purchase price.
By Nigel
Good design. it’s a pity we don’t get more of this in Manchester. The only snag : it would be nice to see a terrace that would step back on the roof with appartements like what we can observe in continental cities giving the building more height and elegance. I think also that the Arndale should be demolished and this sort of thing built in its place. I hope the brick work and all the details will be of top quality.
By John
A great selection by the city and great work by the architects, refreshing to see. Now the onus will be on glenbrook to deliver….keep the vision true. I will watch this one with interest…
By Don cheglioni
This better not affect the hours bars in the area are permitted to stay open. Existing nightlife venues and new.
By Anonymous
Should be a space for everyone. Park, skate ramp, sports court, and bring back the market stalls.
By Anonymous
I do like the scheme and it’s a welcome addition to the city centre. I am intrigued by the plants growing from the window sills though 😉 Joking apart, the rooftop garden looks promising but if facades are really to be greened, it would be good to build in planters etc allowing this. That’s a general comment not just about this scheme.
By Mike
There’s no such thing as a space for everyone
By Anonymous
@Anonymous 11pm, this is a residential neighbourhood, there is no room for late loud venues now, Manchester has matured
By Anonymous
Good design but the painting on the facade is too much. Get rid of it.
By Mike
Keep the trees!
By Churchstreeter
I will open a bottle of champagne when Church Street car park gets pulled down! Truly grotesque. But more importantly, so happy to see Tim Groom Architects involved—rarely have a miss!
By Tom
I’m all for regeneration but at least be creative with the development. It’s a generic block of flats. This area needs more green space. Also hope the trees on Thomas Street have a preservation order and are not felled to make way for this like they did on the site of Transmission House. Not to mention the street art. Gone is the ‘horn’ on the corner of Tib/Church street and they want to put the ‘Big boys toy’ at ground level? Let’s see how long that lasts. Used to be lit up at night until someone out the kibosh on that.
By Anonymous
Need to replace motif with a bas-relief
By mike
It’s a nice “safe” design but it would be nice to see something audacious from Tim Groom architects. Perhaps a more modernist design. I would like to see more concret used in the designs and even stone cladding instead of the brick. A three tier Terrace that would step back one from the other giving the building Greater height would create living areas.
The flat roofs that we see everywhere in Manchester could be put much better use as there is a great shortage of appartements in central Manchester.
By John
Rubbish. Northern quarter is thriving as a focal point for Manchester’s nightlife, putting apartments right next to late night venues will only lead to one thing: noise complaints, reduced opening hours and closures. Get creative.
By Ms