Manchester fires starting gun for rare Northern Quarter development opportunity
The chance to redevelop the Church Street multistorey car park into a residential scheme is up for grabs.
Branded as St Paul’s after the church that once stood on the site, the 1.5-acre Manchester plot presents a rare opportunity for a high-density development in the heart of the city centre.
CBRE has been appointed to find a development partner. The deadline for bids is 12 February.
Leader of the city council Bev Craig described the opportunity as “unique” and any proposals should reflect that.
“Our Northern Quarter is proudly and fiercely independent and we would expect proposals to understand intimately the context of the neighbourhood and present plans that pay homage to the history and heritage of the area to support the next generation of independent businesses to thrive,” she said.
The redevelopment of the Church Street car park is long overdue, according to Craig.
“The Church Street car park has for some time felt out of step with its surroundings, detracting from the wider area both in look and feel, and in the way the current building layout attracts anti-social behaviour.
“A multi storey car park is also inappropriate in the heart of our city, and we expect this development to support a people-first approach that actively promotes public transport and active travel over car use.”
There are few development sites in the city boasting such a central location so the race to secure the plot will likely be hotly contested.
While large scale development is rarer in the Northern Quarter than other parts of the city due to the listed status of many of the buildings and the presence of the Stevenson Square Conservation Area, several schemes close to the car park have secured planning approval in recent years.
Opposite the car park on the other side of Tib Street, Salboy’s 187-apartment Transmission House completed in 2020. Salboy has also delivered the 43,000 sq ft Glassworks facing Shudehill interchange, a development that was not universally popular.
Not all schemes approved in recent times have been delivered. The controversial Warp & Weft from Real Estate Investment Partnership has consent but no work has taken place, while a proposed 37-flat development off Red Lion Street next to the car park stalled shortly after groundwork began.
Piccadilly ward councillor Sam Wheeler said any proposals for the Church Street site should be developed for the benefit of Mancunians.
“Manchester has strong public finances and does not have to sell this land,” he said.
“Any bidder should be aware that the choice of whether the council sell or not is dependent on what they can deliver for Mancunians, particularly those currently living with deprivation.
“As a local member I will continue to be involved if and when a scheme is brought forward, and convey the strong feelings of the community I represent. If the proposals are not what the people of Manchester want then they will be resisted every step of the way.”
Wheeler also highlighted a potential obstacle to any development that might be proposed.
“I am also concerned that bidders from outside Manchester may not realise there is a war memorial at the site, recently restored after lobbying by myself and my colleagues, and that any design must understand the importance of continuing to honour those men who were killed in the struggle to keep Manchester free.”
