Renaker, Vita, Downing schemes poised for sign off

Renaker’s 52-storey Crown Street towers next to Deansgate Square, the final phase of Waterside Places’ Islington Wharf, Downing’s 2,240-bed co-living cluster and Vita’s Water Street skyscrapers are tipped for approval at Manchester City Council’s first virtual meeting of the full planning committee. 

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Crown Street 

SimpsonHaugh designed the towers

Developer: Renaker Build 

Architect: SimpsonHaugh 

Planner: Deloitte Real Estate 

Renaker is expecting to win approval for 890 apartments across two towers at the Great Jackson Street regeneration zone on the fringes of Manchester city centre. 

The two towers, named Blade and Cylinder, form the second phase of Renaker’s Crown Street development close to its other project, Deansgate Square, and would offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments across 950,000 sq ft.

The towers would be connected at the lower levels by a podium containing 5,200 sq ft of commercial space.   

The plans, submitted in April, also include a 210-place primary school, a three-level basement car park and a public park. 

The site covers 2.7 acres and is next to Chester Road roundabout and Mancunian Way. 

TPM is the landscape architect. DP Squared is the structural engineer, MEP Design is providing building services and Heritage Architecture is also on the project team.  

Vectos, Hoare Lea, WSP and Erap are consulting on transport, fire, fluid dynamics and ecology respectively. 

The 664-apartment first phase of Crown Street comprises the topped-out 21-storey Victoria Tower and the adjoining 51-storey Elizabeth Tower, which is due to be constructed within the next 12 months.   

All four buildings are designed by SimpsonHaugh. 

First Street Co-living 

The scheme would provide more than 2,200 bed spaces

Developer: Downing 

Architect: SimpsonHaugh 

Planner: Deloitte Real Estate 

Developer and contractor Downing aims to create a 2,224-bedroom co-living scheme at Manchester’s First Street, including a 45-storey tower alongside three blocks stepped in height. 

Block breakdown 

• Of the three blocks, one, located on the corner of Hulme Street and Wilmott Street, would step up in height from 10 to 18 storeys and then again to 22. 
• A second, at the corner of Chester Street and Wilmott Street would rise from 18 storeys, to 22 and finally up to 26. 
• The third block, fronting Mancunian Way, would decrease from 17 storeys to 13 and then 10, stepping down from the road towards the centre of the site.  

Downing bought the site, Plot 11 on the edge of First Street, from investment manager Patrizia last March for around £18m.  

Plans for the scheme were submitted in January, including more than 2,200 bedrooms and 44,000 sq ft of amenity and surrounding public realm. 

The flats would be split between 11 different accommodation types, ranging from compact studios to five-bedroom apartments. 

The co-living proposals include 1,113 apartments, divided between one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-bedrooms, along with 1,091 studio apartments. 

Downing, which would construct the scheme, wants to start on site this year subject to approval. 

New Islington Wharf final phase 

Islington Wharf is by Muse Developments and the Canal & River Trust

Developer: Waterside Places, a joint venture between Muse Developments and the Canal & River Trust 

Architect: Ryder Architecture  

Planner: Savills 

The fourth and final stage of Waterside Places’ New Islington Wharf scheme is up for approval 15 years after the joint venture secured consent for the first phase of the residential development. 

Comprising 106 apartments across two towers of 16 and 11 storeys respectively, the buildings would be located on the corner of Great Ancoats Street and Old Mill Street. 

Phase three is situated to the east, and phase one to the south.  

There would be 33 one-bedroom apartments and 73 two-bedroom apartments split across 77,000 sq ft. 

The project team includes Buro Four as project manager, Hydrock and Hannan Associates as engineering consultants, and Rider Levitt Bucknall as quantity surveyor. 

Subject to planning approval, work is expected to start on site in autumn 2021 with completion targeted for the end of 2022. 

Waterside Places has also brought forward projects at Granary Wharf in Leeds and Brentford Lock in London. 

Water Street Co-Living towers 

The two Vita towers Credit: Our Studio

Developer: Vita and Manchester Quays, a joint venture between Allied London and Manchester City Council 

Architect: Denton Corker Marshall 

Planner: Deloitte Real Estate 

Having bought two sites on Water Street within the St John’s area of the city centre from developer Allied London last year, Vita wants to build a pair of co-living towers comprising 762 apartments under its Union Living brand.

The towers would be 32 storeys and 36 storeys respectively and replace Allied London’s plans for a pair of 36-storey skyscrapers named Dime and Nickel, approved in 2017. 

Although one of Vita’s towers is four storeys taller than its neighbour, the 36-storey building provides fewer flats due to the fact that three floors are given over entirely to 21,500 sq ft of co-working space. 

Both towers would provide 180 studio apartments, available only on short-term lets of up to six months. 

The remaining units across the two towers would be two-, three- or four-bedroom co-living apartments. 

In total, the pair of towers would provide more than 1,600 bedspaces.