Ask outlines plans for 17-storey First Street office

Ask has submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for Plot 9A of the First Street masterplan, proposing a 17-storey mixed-use building, designed by architect 5plus.

The building includes around 160,000 sq ft of offices on the 11 lower floors, and a 205-bedroom hotel on the top six levels, the two elements being served by separate entrances.

The development is to take place at the junction of Medlock Street and River Street, a plot that has most recently been used as surface parking and for housing a site office throughout the construction of the neighbouring No.8 First Street, a development now closing in on completion following delays caused by Carillion’s collapse.

Should permission be granted, it is intended to start work in 2019 on a two-year build programme; it is understood Bam and Kier have both tendered for the project although a contractor appointment is not expected to be imminent. Deloitte is the planner for the project, while Cundall is providing building services and acoustics.
The hotel is to be marketed to brands that will complement the Innside by Melia hotel at the northern end of the First Street estate.

An updated masterplan for the First Street area went before the city council’s executive in July, outlining plans for up to 347,000 sq ft of office space and a hotel, with development to reach up to 17 storeys.

It had previously been said that the timeline for delivery at Plot 9A would be determined by demand at No. 8, but the 178,000 sq ft Fletcher Priest-designed building has let well, with Gazprom, WSP, and Odeon accounting for more than 120,000 sq ft ahead of its imminent completion.

Ask was First Street’s original developer, selling out to Patrizia in 2015 then buying back into the scheme early in 2018, with Ask and its partner Richardson each taking a 45% stake and Patrizia retaining 10%.

Ask and Richardson bought the plots for this southward expansion of the First Street estate from Patrizia last year, and are understood to be seeking a long-term funding partner for this phase of development.