West’s Manchester sites up for grabs

Morgan Stanley Real Estate has appointed JLL to bring three former West Properties' Manchester development sites to the market.

The parcels of land for sale are the Origin site on the corner of Whitworth Street and Princess Street, the Renaissance hotel on Blackfriars Street and Deansgate, and a former car park site on Owen Street next to the River Medlock near Beetham Tower.

The sites were previously owned by developer Donal Mulryan, and were bought by Morgan Stanley in 2011 as part of the disposal of £216m of Mulryan's assets by the Irish Government's National Asset Management Agency.

Both Owen Street and Origin had planning permission for developments designed by Ian Simpson Architects. Owen Street was to feature five towers of between 13 and 49 storeys, with 1,094 apartments, 100 serviced apartments, a hotel and a 36,000 sq ft gym.

At Origin, which was the former site of the Palazzo Warehouse buildings, the scheme was to include a seven-storey 62,000 sq ft office, 180 apartments, a boutique hotel, and a range of shops and cafes.

West acquired the Renaissance hotel for £20m in 2007 and secured planning permission in 2008 for a 250-bed hotel, 212,000 sq ft office, 60,000 sq ft of retail and 248 apartments.

All parties declined to comment.