Mixed success for Beech office conversions

The developer has secured consent for an office-to-residential project in Manchester city centre above Avison Young’s home at 11 St James Square, but similar proposals for a building on Whitworth Street have been refused.

The larger of the two developments is at St James Square, where the upper three floors of the five-storey building will be converted into 45 apartments, including a mix of 22 studios, 17 one-beds, and six two-beds.

The office on the first floor is currently used by Avison Young, as one of two bases in the city along with Norfolk House following its purchase of GVA this year. At ground floor level, occupiers include My Thai, Pave Coffee, and a hair salon.

Beech is proposing to convert the second, third, and fourth floors for residential use, and has been given planning consent this month by Manchester City Council. Beech was advised by Paul Butler Associates on this application.

The developer has also proposed another conversion, this time at 65 Whitworth Street. Here, Beech is looking to change the first, second, third, and fourth floors into 24 apartments. With an RBS branch at ground floor, the building sits opposite Manchester New Square and O’Shea’s Irish Bar.

However, the council has refused this application, with the council arguing the developer had not put forward “appropriate evidence to show there would not be significant adverse impacts of noise from commercial premises” on the building’s occupiers.