Former Spire Hospital set to be demolished

Plans have been put forward to clear the former Spire Hospital in Whalley Range for redevelopment, a site left vacant after the medical provider relocated to Didsbury.

The building on Russell Road is owned by Manchester City Council but has been vacant since January 2017 when Spire moved to a new purpose-built facility off Princess Road; this was completed by contractor Vinci around two years ago.

The existing site of the former hospital covers around two acres and is bordered by Whalley Road, Russell Road, and Carlton Road. Built in the 1980s, the building is nearly 100,000 sq ft in size.

Manchester City Council is looking to clear the site to make way for a potential extra care residential scheme, a planning application for which is expected to come forward in 2020.

Demolition is expected to take between 12 and 16 weeks and will start in March this year, subject to planning approval. Once these works complete, the area will be covered with hard and soft landscaping.

Paul Butler Associates is advising the council on the demolition on planning and heritage. A consultation was held on the plans in November last year, with local residents found to be broadly in favour of redeveloping the site.

The professional team also includes Urban Green.