Restoration of fire-damaged Chinatown site approved

Plans to redevelop a building in Manchester’s Chinatown, severely damaged by a fire in November 2016, have been approved.

The proposals include converting the ground floor into a restaurant, and seven apartments on the upper floors. These will be split between six on and two-bedroom flats alongside a penthouse in a rooftop extension, while the restaurant will cover the ground floor and basement levels.

Plans by Green Architectural Design were submitted in November last year, and have now been signed off by Manchester City Council.

The building on 55 Faulkner Street was heavily damaged in the blaze in 2016, in which two homeless men died. A murder investigation was launched following the fire.

External repairs have already been carried out to the building, including replacement of brickwork and restoration of windows, while the façade has also been propped and supported to allow the fire service and the police to continue with their investigation.

The internal structure of the building is to be removed as a result of fire damage, while a new stair will have to be built after the building’s main staircase was destroyed. The building’s façade will be retained.

The professional team on the project also includes Richard K Morriss & Associates as historic building consultants; DW Consulting Engineers as structural engineer; and EFL Consulting as fire engineer.

Oldham-based design-and-build contractor James West is also attached to the project as main contractor.

The building has long been earmarked for redevelopment, having remained largely empty for a number of years. Previous plans by its private owners included a boutique hotel, which were drawn up in 2016. The hotel was subsequently changed to apartments in late 2016.