PLANNING | Manchester earmarks £800m of projects for approval

The trend of bumper planning agendas for Manchester City Council continues, as next week’s committee looks set to approve more than £800m of development, including 1,500 homes.

Planning officers have recommended consent be granted to four major schemes at the meeting on Thursday 2 June.

First Street South

Patrizia put forward plans for 624 apartments targeted at the private rented sector, to be built on a three-acre plot at the southern end of First Street.

Designed by Callison RTKL, at its highest the £120m development will be 26 and 24 storeys, with ground floor commercial units surrounded by 35,000 sq ft of landscaped public realm.

The scheme will be targeted at young professionals, and will provide a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes.

Deloitte is the planner, Exterior Architecture is designing the public realm, and Cundall is the engineer.

Circle Square

The final phase of applications from Bruntwood and Select Property Group total £360m of development, with 680 apartments, including a 36-storey tower, two office blocks of 18- and 14-storeys, and a 10-storey car park with more than 1,000 spaces.

Central to the site will be two collaborative spaces: The Green and a 20,000 sq ft pavilion for hosting events.

The project team for the overall Circle Square project includes 5plus, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Planit-IE, structural engineer Curtins, engineer Cundalls and cost consultant Appleyard & Trew. Office agents are Savills, JLL and Knight Frank.

Manchester Engineering Campus

The 837,000 sq ft Manchester Engineering Campus is due to be built on Upper Brook Street next to the Manchester Aquatic Centre, by main contractor Balfour Beatty. The £350m project is the University of Manchester’s largest project in its ongoing £1bn masterplan programme.

The campus, designed by Mecanoo, will encompass the university’s four engineering schools from engineering and physical sciences, including chemical engineering and mechanical, aerospace and civil engineering.

Plans includes the Manchester Engineering Campus Hall, a new-build Upper Brook Street Building, and a new-build York Street Building, as well as a corridor connected to the current James Chadwick building, which is being reconfigured internally as part of the proposals.

Blossom Street, Ancoats

The fifth scheme from Manchester Life Development Company, the joint venture between the council and Manchester City FC owner Abu Dhabi United Group, is 199 homes for rent on Blossom Street, Ancoats.

Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for a derelict site bounded by Blossom Street, Bengal Street, Sherratt Street and George Leigh Street, the project will include 185 flats, and 14 ground floor townhouses, with 4,800 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor.