Ask progresses next phase of First Street
Ask Real Estate and Whitbread have announced plans for the next phase of First Street, with a redesign of the office and hotel block approved last year, and a separate application due to come forward nearby to deliver more offices and residential.
Ask in a joint venture with Premier Inn owner Whitbread is preparing to submit two applications to Manchester City Council. The first is for Plot 9, which has planning consent for a 16-storey office and hotel which is set to be occupied by Premier Inn, relocating from its neighbouring Medlock Street site.
The revised scheme proposes a larger footprint office, but will be lower in height than the approved building. Premier Inn will still occupy a hotel element.
The second application will be submitted by Whitbread and is for a mix of office and residential accommodation on its Medlock Street site.
Both schemes are designed by Jon Matthews Architects.
In February, Ask agreed a pre-let with Premier Inn to move into five storeys of the building proposed at Plot 9. The deal triggered a second JV between Ask, the Richardsons and Whitbread to redevelop the Premier Inn hotel site with a 480,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme.
Ask and Whitbread are hosting a public consultation next week to launch the project so are remaining tightlipped on details, however the scheme is understood to be of significant scale.
The event will take place on Tuesday 16 July 2019 from 3pm until 7pm at Unit 3 N08 First Street.
John Hughes, managing director of Ask Real Estate said: “These proposed plans will continue the transformation of this part of the city centre. First Street continues to thrive with a complimentary mix of tenants, and this is an opportunity to grow the neighbourhood even further.
“We look forward to consulting with the public to finalise our plans for the next phase.”
Richard Pearson, senior development manager for Whitbread, said: “Working with Ask Real Estate we have the opportunity to replace an ageing Premier Inn with our latest format hotel in one of Manchester’s most exciting and popular developments. It’s an excellent opportunity to improve our network in the city and bring more rooms to the popular micro-location for our customers. I’m looking forward to talking through the plans, and what Premier Inn will bring to First Street, next Tuesday.”
The buildings will be set around puiblic realm and footpaths designed by Planit-IE, linking the development with the other open spaces already created around First Street, Tony Wilson Place, and James Grigor Square.
There will be an opportunity to submit comments on the plans either at the exhibition, by email, or through the website www.
Oh my god……. is First Street ever gonna finish. Plot 9 was reported as already under construction by Urbinfo.
Manchester City Council must be raking it in on all the planning applications being submitted.
By ALL
A hotel and offices = bright? What low aspirations! A nice place to visit and live is what should excite us… hotels and offices are “necessary evils” but shouldn’t be all a place has to offer. Manchester seriously needs to up its game to be a destination city
By Moreofthesame
Other than sport and concerts and bars and restaurants and shops you mean?
By Dan
You know your city is doing well when people are moaning there are so many hotels and offices opening.
By YS