Ollier Smurthwaite reveals designs for Chester Road apartments

Plans have been submitted for an Ollier Smurthwaite-designed residential block on the site of the former Bull’s Head pub on Chester Road in Manchester.

The site just outside Castlefield was home to the pub, built in 1808, which was destroyed in a fire in 2012 after closing in the 1990s.

Ollier Smurthwaite has proposed a mixed three, four, and six-storey brick-clad building housing 29 apartments for client Generation, the developer behind apartment schemes on Brunswick Street, and residential proposals for the Toast Rack.

The project will include 18 two-bed and nine one-bed apartments, as well as eight car parking spaces and 27 cycle spaces.

The main entrance to the building will be on Cleworth Street, and there will also be a courtyard for residents, as well as communal terraces on the third and fourth floors.

The professional team also includes Paul Butler Associates as planner. A public consultation for the scheme was held in November this year.

Nearby development already underway in the area include Glenbrook’s £40m Ellesmere Street private rented scheme, which is being built by Graham. Developer DeTrafford has also received consent for its No.1 Castlefield residential scheme, which also borders Chester Road.

Overall, the project will provide 27 apartments and will reach six storeys at its highest point