Hotel conversion for rundown Northern Quarter building
Located within Manchester’s Smithfield Conservation Area, 68-70 High Street is in line to be redeveloped under plans approved by the city council.
NQHS Property, run by Manchester-based entrepreneur Adam Karim, is behind the proposals to refurbish the upper floors of the building into a 26-bedroom hotel.
The upper three floors were last used as offices but are believed to have been vacant for more than 20 years. The ground floor is given over to retail uses.
The design brief for the project is for “compact but efficient hotel rooms in a prime location within Manchester city centre”, according to a design and access statement prepared by Seed Architects.
It is hoped the scheme will “encourage a true social engagement with the city and local area”, the D&A statement states.
A spokesperson for Seed Architects said: “It’s a great project which rejuvenates what has long been a vacant building, in a prominent part of the city centre.”
Northern Planners is the planning consultant for the project.
To learn more about the project, search for reference number 138110/FO/2023 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
There’s still so much dereliction in the northern quarter, it’s been up and coming for about 25 years and the nightlife is really struggling now that Peter Street, Diecast, Ramona, Freight Island, Circle Square and Kampus have taken the hipsters and students away.
By Gilly
Gilly all the new student towers and apartments will pour more hipsters into the city centre. Don’t worry.
By Anonymous
Does Gilly have anything positive to say about anything. The northern quarter has been a slow burn but is so much better for it.
By Bored
Any chance of some half decent public realm around here? That might help reduce some of the dereliction.
Nope, thought not.
By Pavement watch
Knock it all down and fill the Northern Quarter with the modern 60 and 70 storey towers.We certainly don’t need anymore parks, if you need to exercise pay for a gym membership.
By Bob March
Pavement watch, it’s all part of the charm, the unique aesthetic, you just don’t understand
By Gilly
@Pavement Watch…you mean you haven’t noticed the pocket park that Salboy put in at the back of the Glassworks? Oh yes, I remember, they planned it but didn’t bother putting it in. There was a car parked on the paving they put there instead the last time I walked past.
By Clouded Leopard
Gilly, you clearly haven’t been out in The NQ recently. Absolutely heaving the last few times I have been, and the outside seating makes for a great atmosphere in summer.
By Nick
Nick, how are Cooper Hall, El Capo and Cottonopolis nowadays?
By Gilly
Sorry Gilly but everytime I go to the NQ which is frequently, it is hammered. At weekends I often have to walk on the road on Oldham st as the pavements are so busy. Businesses come and go…..it is part of the normal cycle. Look at greens!!! A vacant unit…..and there aren’t many in the NQ is an opportunity for someone else
By Optimist
Gilly, Cottonopolis isn’t closing down its changing concept.
By Anonymous
Hipsters and students Lol😂…cos that’s what keeps the NQ going?…oh dear … I prefer the business districts of Manchester though , what with all them Yuppies…😂
By Charles in charge
Why are people pretending that the NQ is dying?
By Find a new hobby
The other commentators are right ,there areaa needs PARKS,and some green space and trees.
By Ritchie
Why do people want to change the NQ…….it’s perfect as it is. This kind of organic change is exactly what it needs. The grittiness is part of its charm and appeal. It would loose so much if you sanitise it. Much of New York has that grittiness……you don’t want yorkstone and manicured grass everywhere
By Anti richie
Try Liverpool if you want a good night out, the Ropewalks, Matthew Street and the Baltic Triangle are what the NQ should’ve been, rather than an extension to the Printworks
By Josh Burns
Was in Liverpool last week, completely lost its buzz. Can see why tourists are choosing other cities such as Leeds instead.
Loads of places outside of the NQ now if you don’t like that either.
By Anonymous
The FT did a piece on Manchester last week, and all the comments referred to the lack of green space, being what lets the city down . The city is booming, but there are still no decent parks.Why is this such an obstacle for MCC? They seem to have some sort of phobia about lawns, trees and rose bushes. They had an opportunity on Great Ancoats Street and they have again, sold the land for grey offices. After their destruction of Piccadilly Gardens you would think they would try to make amends. Mayfield is too far away from everything.
By Elephant
@ Anti Richie – the NQ is absolutely NOT
“perfect” as it is. It’s a very long way from perfect. I will never understand why some people associate broken, poorly maintained water sodden pavements as a market of ‘gritty charm and appeal’. No other large city that I know of takes such an attitude to their creative districts, that includes London, Amsterdam and New York. Sure you’ll see some run down buildings and graffiti but nowhere do you see the extent of dire pavements and public realm as you do in Manchester. All you’re doing is excusing complacency and neglect. Decent public realm is an absolute basic requirement regardless of where you are, no different to street lighting and refuse collection
By Pavement watch
Couldn’t be more true Elephant. Despite what the trolls would have you think, Manchester is a brilliant city with fantastic nightlife to suit all tastes with numerous vibrant neighbourhoods both old and new. NQ might be old news but it’s undeniably still trendy.
However, the green space situation in the city centre is shocking. The way that people defend the loss of opportunities such as Central Park or Pomona Island is so short sighted it’s hard to imagine these comments being made by someone who isn’t intending to develop at the site. It’s not sustainable in a number of ways but for the skyscraper geeks with no time for carbon footprints, it’s unsustainable in terms of quality of life which will eventually lead to Manchester falling behind.
This is from someone who is completely pro-development but for both skyscrapers AND green space.
It needs to be taken far more seriously than what it is. We need mass pedestrianisation, a few more Mayfields and the Irwell River Park if you want Manchester to actually thrive as an all rounder, which it can be.
By Anonymous
“Organic change”? It makes private-profit-driven ‘town planning’ sound like an inevitable evolutionary process driven by mother nature, whoever he is. But maybe that is the point.
By Anonymous
That’s right pavement watch, let’s gentrify the NQ and force up rents and drive out the very businesses that make it special who rely on those low rents. The council haven’t meddled in the NQ which is why it is so much different to other city centre areas. Long May it continue I say
By Anti richie
I think the green space argument is well made, with one important caveat, if you look at places like New York on London, it’s not hard to find urban places with little or no green space nearby, but you are never more than a brief transit ride from green space.
By Rich X
Yes anonymous organic change………ie site by site, building by building…….and not the top down comprehensive change that some on here crave for and which would destroy the NQ as we know and love it
By Anti richie
Try Ancoats and New Islington across the rd from the NQ, bit tidier though not as many bars as the NQ. Love the vibe. I think that where the hipsters have gone, whatever hipsters are….😂
By Anonymous