Heritage conversion approved for Mindel House

Developer Beech Holdings is to convert the Victorian warehouse and the neighbouring 11 Bloom Street in Manchester city centre into 80 low carbon apartments.

The scheme, called Mindel + Bloom, was awarded planning consent from Manchester City Council this week, with Paul Butler Associates working as the planning consultant and heritage advisor to Beech Holdings.

The two red brick buildings, which total 50,000 sq ft, are thought to be the last remaining unconverted Victorian warehouses in the city centre, according to Beech. They sit on the corner of Bloom Street and Minshull Street, close to Piccadilly train station.

Under the plans, the properties will undergo extensive regeneration and redevelopment into a collection of one- and two-bedroom low carbon apartments, with many of the original industrial features retained within the scheme.

The apartments will be made available fully furnished for rent through Beech’s in-house lettings company Manchester Apartments, and will feature underfloor heating, Bosch appliances and bespoke bedrooms and kitchens.

The scheme includes a communal heating system for the entire building to aid lower running costs, including heat recovery systems and air source heat pumps, according to the developer.

As well as the flats, the project will see significant landscaping improvements to the surrounding area, including restoration of a cobbled street between the two buildings.

The scheme will retain some of the Victorian buildings’ original features

One side of Mindel House has been gifted to Manchester City Council for a community LGBTQ+ art mural, and street artists continue to create works for visitors to the area. Nearby, Capital & Centric is building its Kampus rental scheme, which launched for sale earlier this year.

A statement from Beech Holdings said: “We are marrying Mindel House and 11 Bloom Street together, creating an exciting boutique residence in one of Manchester city centre’s best locations.

“We are perfectly placed to carry out this development as one of our key areas of expertise is transforming derelict, disused and unloved space into thriving locations for Manchester’s growing number of residents.”

Last month, Beech completed its 90-unit Academy Apartments student accommodation scheme in Trafford, intended to house students from the UA92 higher education institution backed by footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.

The Manchester-based residential developer struck a financing deal earlier this year with Saudi Arabia-based AIMS Investments, which is said at the time would enable it to deliver a pipeline of 1,000 apartments across Greater Manchester.

Manchester City Council approved two planning applications related to the Mindel + Bloom scheme – a listed building consent and a change of use and building alterations application including a single-storey rooftop extension to 11 Bloom Street.

As well as Paul Butler Associates, the design team includes Parker Wilson, Hoare Lea, SCP, Sandy Brown, Redmore, REC, Element Sustainability, GJ Associations and SCS.