High Street Manchester

The current buildings on the site

CEG to consult on Manchester High Street scheme

Commercial Estates Group is to hold a public consultation event on 26 July as it seeks to bring forward plans to develop its retail and office asset at 20-36 High Street in Manchester’s retail core.

In leaflets distributed to local residents and businesses, CEG said it is “currently considering options for a dynamic new development” that will deliver retail, leisure and employment space at the site, which it described as “dilapidated, constrained and reaching the end of its economic life”.

CEG described the present buildings as under-occupied, unappealing and not meeting with modern environmental standards. The developer said that part of its plans are to create a new atrium at ground floor that will house independent shops, cafes, bars and stalls and create a new connection from High Street through to Birchin Lane. No further details are available at this stage.

The buildings currently on the site total around 70,000 sq ft. The main frontage is onto High Street, across from the Arndale shopping centre, with a retail mix including Betfred and Johnson’s. The Church Street elevation is set back behind single-storey market units operated by Manchester Markets.

Subjected to a £300,000 upgrade and expansion in 2009, several of the Church Street Market’s tenants have become firm favourites in the Northern Quarter’s dining scene.

The consultation will be held in the building between 3pm through to 8pm. The scheme’s website will be launched on the same day.

High Street Manchester

Your Comments

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Finally, the ugliest building in the city centre may be gone 🙂

By Bo

Great news.. but I hope CEG shall find a new home for The Ruby Lounge within the new build.

A popular music venue that describes itself as: A PLACE FOR ALL THAT BRUTAL, UGLY, DESPERATE AND VICIOUS ROCK’N’ROLL

It would be so sad to lose this gem of a club.. a Manchester institution for many devoted fans..

By Phil

Interesting. Will look forward to seeing more detail on this. Hoping they will try and incorporate the market stall holders in to any new design. We shall see.

By David

An ugly building, especailly for such a central location
Needs to come down ASAP

By Alex.B

Absolute eyesore. Knock it to the ground.

By Cheshire Boy

I wonder how they will get round the tramlines being so near when putting in foundations – surely the council won’t allow the line to be closed for so long?

By Angela

Leave The Ruby Lounge underground there please – some of the best gigs of my life down there. A cultural touchstone.

By Tim Oulton

Agree with Angela. Are we going to have another period of unacceptable delays, as we had with the Victoria and St Peters developments? Shuttle buses going nowhere near the stops and excuse after excuse as to why it is taking so long? It will probably start in November, just in time for Christmas.

By Elephant

Indeed. Manchester has the best music scene outside of London and people travel regularly from the likes of Liverpool and Leeds to attend gigs but now unfortunately the city is losing Sound Control and now Ruby Lounge to development.

By Music Fan

More East Berlin 1975 than Manchester 2017…VILE! Get it down..We are choosy now & expect the best to go in its place.

By Schwyz

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