Manchester Town Hall design team tender out

Manchester City Council has gone out to tender to procure a design and project team to deliver the £330m refurbishment and upgrade of Manchester Town Hall and Albert Square.

The work covers office, commercial, civic, visitor and event areas and is divided into five lots: architectural services; structural and civic engineering services; landscape services; building and engineering services; and quantity surveying. The estimated timeframe is seven years, as per the council’s statement this month that it is targeting a 2023 completion date for the project.

A Town Hall report for the council’s scrutiny committee prepared by Sara Todd, deputy chief executive of growth and neighbourhoods, identified the appointment of this team as critical in enabling greater certainty regarding the capital cost of the refurbishment and upgrade programme. Currently estimated as costing at least £330m, the project could include a boutique hotel and/or commercial offices within the Town Hall complex.

A further report will be presented to the council’s executive in March 2017 on potential commercial uses and delivery.

The tender document advertised through the Official Journal of the European Union states the combined value of the five lots as between £17.7m and £22.1m. The architectural services lot is estimated at £9m to £11m; structural and civic engineering at £2m to £2.5m; landscaping at £300,000 to £400,000; building services at £4m to £5.2m; and quantity surveyor services at £2.4m to £3m.

The architect will act as principal designer. Five to seven candidates will be invited for each lot.

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What absolute tosh. £300m to do what? They have just spent a mind boggling amount renovating the library and Council offices on St Peters square so what is this for? Smarter offices for the overpaid workshy employees?! There are more pressing areas where this money could be spent and they should consider repairing the main arterial routes around the city centre. Footpaths are horrendous and the city is dirty after a weekend night out. Focus on what matters for the people who work, live and visit the city and that is to make it an attractive area with adequate walkways, public realm and decent street furniture.
Undertake necessary structural and fabric repairs Yes of course, but to spank the place with a whole new refurbishments is disgusting.

By manc.crier

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