PLANNING | High Street returns to committee
CEG’s High Street, MEPC’s 4 Angel Square, and Agecroft’s proposals for Thomas Street are to be discussed at Manchester City Council’s planning committee next week.
All three of the schemes are recommended for approval.
20-36 High Street
Number of apartments: 361
Number of storeys: 22
Retail and leisure space: 12,000 sq ft
Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley
Planner: Deloitte
Developer: CEG
The proposal from CEG is back at committee after it was postponed at last month’s council meeting. This was based on a motion from Cllr Lyons that requested a site visit before the plans went any further.
The proposal would see the demolition of a 1960’s block currently on Manchester’s High Street, and its replacement with a 22-storey building with apartments on the upper floors, and retail and leisure units at street level. There is also a proposed atrium and walkway running through the building.
The market street stalls which are currently located at street level of the proposed site, including operators Northern Soul Grilled Cheese and Jerk Shack, would be relocated closer to the NCP Car Park.
4 Angel Square
Number of storeys: 11
Office space: 240,000 sq ft
Architect: SimpsonHaugh
Planner: Deloitte
Developer: MEPC
Subject to approval at committee, the proposal for office space at Noma is set to start construction May 2020.
The floorplates will measure over 19,000 sq ft across nine floors, with the top floor standing at 16,450 sq ft with a 3,000 sq ft roof terrace. The ground floor is set to house a 7,300 sq ft food and beverage unit, and the 32,000 sq ft basement will include plant and 57 car parking spaces, and 212 cycle spaces.
The scheme includes the demolition of the Ducie Bridge pub, two three-story shops and a four-storey warehouse, all of which are vacant.
The professional team includes BuroHappold as structural & civil engineer; project manager Gardiner & Theobald; Deloitte as planner; Planit-IE as landscape architect; Curtins as transport consultant; CDM Services as principal designer; JGA as fire engineer; and Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture as heritage consultant.
52-58 Thomas Street
Number of hotel/aparthotel rooms: 26
Number of storeys: range of 3, 4, 5 storey buildings
Architect: GA Studio
Planner: Ruth Jackson Planning
Developer: Agecroft Investment Company
The development for the partially cleared site on Thomas Street is at committee after tweaking the design to lighten up the brickwork to stone cladding after a public consultation in February.
The site retains 52-58 Thomas Street, a unit previously occupied by curry café Al Faisal, which moved across the road last year. The interlinked buildings will be between four and five storeys and are bounded by Thomas Street, Kelvin Street, John Street, and Back Turner Street.
Last year, Manchester City Council’s building control officers decided to demolish the original buildings on the site which it described as in imminent danger of collapse.
At ground level, there are proposals for food and beverage units.
The demolition of The Ducie Bridge and surrounding buildings for 4 Angel Street is a travesty. These buildings are incredibly rare examples of working class architecture that have survived WWII bombings and awful postwar planning. The new building is of zero architectural interest and another example of how MCC are willing to sell the soul of the city to the highest bidder. Shame on them!
By Acelius
Pray for High Street not to fall foul of the bonkers recent form of piccadilly labour councillors. It is, by a huge margin, the best scheme in Manchester of the last decade. CEG nailed it from the outset with the way they did their public engagement and followed it through to a stunning design. Any delay to a scheme of this quality is shameful.
By Anonymous
Agree with everything Anonymous has said. If the Piccadilly Labour councillors are desperate to make it look like they’re doing anything useful they should focus all their attention on redeveloping Piccadilly Gardens.
By Anonymous
High Street – Are first floor bin stores a thing?
By Anonymous
I really hope this gets built. It is exactly the standard and quality we need to see more of in cities outside London.
By liverpoollad
The councillors don’t care about the city though, they just want their names in the headlines, if these major schemes get passed first time then nobody is talking about the Councillors and they don’t get to feed their egos.
By York Street
Three stunning proposals – especially 26-30 High Street. It could replace one of the city’s worst buildings with one of the best.
By Alex
The office is ok, the Thomas street one looks a nice little filler and the high street scheme is absolutely class
By T ward
Get that High Street scheme built already!
By Anonymous
Anything would be an improvement on that brutalist mess that is currently on the High street. CGI of new building looks good. Get it built.
By Jonny
In the MEN tonight this High Street development is being referred to as a carbuncle towering over Debenhams.I really don’t know what these people want for Manchester? This building would not shame Manhattan.
By Elephant
That building is huuuggeee. Really, it looks ridiculously huge. Like huuuggeeeee
By rolo
Why are the planners obsessed with grey brick and assume Mancunians will prefer it to the traditional red brick?
By BDR