Heron House office revamp proposed

A planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of Heron House in Manchester city centre, in a scheme that will see the building re-presented as a 96,000 sq ft grade A office with extended restaurants at ground floor.

The scheme has been designed by architect 5plus for Bruntwood, which in September 2015 was awarded a management contract for the building by Manchester City Council.

The application was prepared by Paul Butler Associates. The office space in the building now stands mostly vacant, having been occupied largely by Manchester City Council, which has now relocated staff as part of its estates programme.

Heron House sits in a critical location for the city, opposite Manchester Town Hall on Albert Square and sitting between Lloyd Street and Brazennose Street, leading down to Spinningfields.

This redevelopment project sits alongside the existing Lincoln masterplan, which involves a new public space in front of the Hidden Gem church, improvements to Lincoln Square and an improved route through to Spinningfields from Albert Square.

Three sides of Heron House are colonnaded, and office reception space, along with the ground floor restaurant space occupied by operators including Wings and Slug & Lettuce will be extended out to the edges of these colonnades, adding 2,173 sq ft of restaurant space to the existing 7,865 sq ft. The retail element on Brazennose Street will be dealt with in future.

The main reception of the building is to see a complete overhaul, with all fixtures and fittings removed, while the entrances will be replaced, along with most of the building’s windows. All brickwork is to be cleaned.

The office accommodation will also be stripped back, with all previous fittings including partitions to be removed. The Registrars’ Office is to continue operating from the building, for at least phase one, and that space isn’t included in the plans.