Developer's CGI of proposed scheme

Last chance to comment on St Michael’s

A final consultation event is being held tomorrow to give the public a last opportunity to comment on the £150m St Michael’s development proposed in Manchester city centre, before a planning application is submitted.

St Michael’s is being brought forward by a development company owned by former footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, developer Brendan Flood and Manchester City Council.

The 700,000 sq ft mixed-use project proposed at a prominent site on Bootle Street, off Albert Square, has been controversial since its inception, due to plans to demolish all buildings on site, including the historic Sir Ralph Abercromby pub.

Since Make Architects’ designs for towers reaching to 21 and 31 storeys were revealed in July, the development has been called inappropriately tall for a location so close to key civic buildings such as the Town Hall and Central Library. While the pre-consultation phase closed a number of weeks ago, the consortium faced pressure to allow for more time for the public to consider the proposals.

A model and images of the scheme will be available to view in Central Library in St Peter’s Square from 11.30am to 7pm on Wednesday 19 October. Members of the project team will also be available to discuss the project.

Plans for St Michael’s include a 200-bedroom, five-star hotel, 153 one, two and three-bed apartments and penthouses, 135,000 sq ft of office space and 30,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including two new elevated bars/restaurants. The development will also feature three brand public spaces, designed by landscape architect Planit-IE.

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I absolutely love the design of these two towers, they are iconic & beautiful and are very different from the host of ‘anycity’ bland office and residential buildings which are sprouting up around the City. In addition,their exterior looks very durable. Well done Gary Neville, Red legend, multitasker extrordinaire and Bury ‘s finest

By Anthony Fallon

In the wrong place entirely. Such an unnecessary waste to demolish the buildings already there.

By T

Ew. Get down and comment. They are absolutely out of character for this part of town. Horrible.

By Ancoats Lurker

Love the design everyone who is complaining are the same people who complain about ANY new interesting place where were those people when they built standard red brick towers all over the bloody city!

By Danny kelly

Looks out of place and shame to demolish what is there. Ugly modern buildings out of character with the surrounding area,

By Helen Davies

Love the modern look they give to the area, can’t wait to see them built.

By A

This scheme is unlike any in the city. It’s surrounded by Grade I, II, and II* listed buildings and doesn’t respond to the streets it sits on. The materials could be improved. The scale could be reduced. The public space could be level so people would actually use it. I’m all for development here but the current scheme just doesn’t work. Anyone with an ear to the ground know that the developers and architects know this. It needs a redesign!

By Dallon

Changing the face of a historic part of the city and not for the better. Ugly tower block monstrosities replacing buildings of character and heritage. I think to lose the buildings already there would be an injustice. We have enough high rise structures blotting the skyline.

By L Jackson

I hope Manchester would not turn into Dubai of the North, and receiving incredible amount of international capital to “develop” its centre, while does not consider its old industrial heritage and local people who need infrastructure and services. Rather, Manchester looks like or would like to be a global city, receiving international capital with no control.

So complaining about these buildings is not about being about anything new: complaining about these buildings is related to the protection of heritage, aiming at a more balanced urban economy to include deprived and isolated people.

By BT

Not tall enough for my liking. Still, a decent mid-rise development, much needed.

By Norman

Sadly Manchester is obliterating characterful properties and streets rather than redeveloping them. We have had a good balance of old and new but recently the balance has been tipped in favour of Kuala Lumpa style high rise that will loose their gloss and may become the tower blocks of the future.

By Debbie M

I oppose these buildings as they will wreck our Historical Victorian area, will blot the landscape, destroy Mancunian Heritage of our Bootle Street buildings. People flock to Manchester for our Music, character, people. We are the product of our City and have been shaped by experiencing the close contact with others in the old pubs, clubs, bars of Manchester, Yes new places are great too but most new builds do not have the charm and magic that these quirky areas do. Please stop before we loose our identity and become a soulless place. London has maintained Dalston, Islington, Spittalfields etc all popular destinations. Think again before its too late.

By Debbie M

Not needed in that location. Ruinous to the town hall foot print.
Mind you if they build it all the town hall could move in to it. Thus enabling Mr Lees to demolish the town hall next so his mates could build more monstrosities in concrete.
Just saying

By Mr Kenneth King

The arrogance of Richard Leese to dismiss local people’s concerns to this. It looks terrible and will only benefit the developers and those wealthy enough to live in it (plus a few of us in the development industry lets not forget). Bad scheme.

By Sir Rod

These buildings would look better in the piccalilli area of Manchester that definitely needs some redevelopment not next to beautiful historic buildings

By Pat

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