PBSA provider plans Manchester densification
IQ Student Accommodation wants to knock down Weston Hall and Pendulum Hotel on Charles Street and deliver up to 2,700 units on the site.
Plans for the Charles Street project are being worked up alongside planner Turley and SimpsonHaugh Architects. Civic, Planit, and Cumming Group are also advising. An EIA Scoping Report has been submitted to Manchester City Council.
IQ plans to launch a public consultation on the four-building scheme in the coming weeks.
There are 528 student beds and 120 hotel rooms IQ’s Charles Street site at present.
The redevelopment, if approved, would see a significant densification of the plot, providing a net increase in excess of 2,000 rooms.
The site is located between two large Bruntwood SciTech developments; Circle Square on Oxford Road and Sister, the redevelopment of the former UMIST campus into a 4m sq ft innovation district.
Matthew Loughlin, IQ’s chief development officer, said: “As Manchester’s higher education scene continues to thrive and student numbers grow, we are pleased to be bringing forward our proposals to deliver much needed, high-quality and well-located student accommodation to this vibrant city.
“We look forward to launching the public consultation in the coming months and receiving local views on our plans.”
IQ first trailed the plans for its Charles Street site in 2020 when it consulted on a development framework encompassing its Manchester holdings. The framework set out plans for both Echo Street – a 1,200-unit scheme currently on site – as well as the Weston Halls and Pendulum Hotel site.
A vision for a 55-storey tower on the corner of London Road and Granby Row also featured in IQ’s 2020 thinking.
Overall, IQ operates more than 3,600 beds across 10 sites in Manchester.
A Simpson Haugh designed large scaled city centre development.. that should be exciting…
By Anonymous
The pendulum/Weston hall is a well run clean cheaper hotel near the theatres etc.. it’s not vacant not underused.. so demolishing this hotel to build others elsewhere is wasteful and un-environmental..the question Manchester needs to ask is.. at what point do we have enough students.. there has to be more to the economy .. than cube housing.
By Anonymous
Wonder how dull the design is going to be
By Anonymous
Highly promising stuff. Who knows, Simpson-Haugh might even try something other than checkerboard this time – I won’t hold my breath though
By Anonymous
Would Manchester Conference Centre be retained?
By Albert
Manchester is becoming a city of student digs. If there were no students Haughsimpson would be out of work
By John