Plans in for Capital & Centric’s £50m mill conversion

The developer has submitted a planning application to transform a grade two-listed mill complex near Piccadilly station in Manchester into a £50m residential scheme, providing 201 one, two and three bed apartments.

The developer bought the 200,000 sq ft mills in an off-market deal with private landowner Shafiq Tufail at the end of last year.

Designed by Shedkm, the refurbished mills would include 200 apartments, with 126 apartments in the existing mill and a further 75 apartments in an adjacent new 10-storey building.

The cluster of warehouses is on Fair Street, Chapeltown Street, Congou Street and Baird Street. Some of the mills are linked, forming a central courtyard, which would be landscaped as part of the redevelopment.

The mills are partially occupied by a variety of businesses, including Rogue Studios which provides space for around 100 artists, alongside clothing manufacturers. However, large sections of the mills are vacant and falling into disrepair. An initial £4m would need to be spent in order to make the buildings safe.

The biggest mill is Crusader Works, built in around 1830 by Joseph Chessborough Dyer, co-founder of the Manchester Guardian Newspaper and the Bank of Manchester. The mills were initially used to produce machinery for the textile industry.

The area around the mills has been earmarked for the proposed high-speed rail terminal, which would extend the existing Piccadilly Station buildings and act as an anchor for the wider regeneration of the area.

Capital & Centric has built up extensive landholdings around the Piccadilly area of the city. Last month it emerged that the developer had bought the Place Aparthotel near to Piccadilly station, and is also in a partnership with Henry Boot Developments to deliver the £200m Kampus on Aytoun Street.

Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital & Centric, said: “Crusader Works is one of Manchester’s forgotten treasures and has been neglected for too long. Our unique design led scheme will see the sensitive restoration of the mill using creative conservation designs to provide efficient and attractive living spaces and ensure the long term sustainability of the listed buildings. The apartments in the mill will allow its residents to experience many of the mill’s original features including the timber soffits and original brickwork and ironwork. The neighbouring new building is simple in its design so as not to detract from the impressive character of the mill.”

“Communities are vital to creating a positive and thriving home environment and we recognise the importance of providing a central place where people can come together, which is why we have invested a lot of time and energy in the design of the central courtyard area that is enveloped by the buildings. This will become a place that will allow residents to congregate and host events.”

Work is due to start on site next May with the first phase of the apartments to be ready for occupation towards the end of 2018.