Piccadilly hotel to be ‘UK’s first net zero tower’ 

Lamington Group’s proposals would see a long-neglected site located close to Manchester Piccadilly station redeveloped into a 31-storey hotel. 

The 251-bedroom hotel, to be operated by Room2, is aiming to be the “the country’s first net zero tower”, according to a design statement by architect Bennetts Associates. 

The team behind the project is aiming for an embodied carbon level of less than 500kgCO2e/m2.

The scheme, located at 12-16 Piccadilly, will also feature several publicly accessible spaces. 

These include a 130-cover rooftop restaurant and a net zero lifestyle museum aimed at “inspiring behavioural change in the public and guests through the teaching of environmental issues and impacts”, the statement says. 

The scheme rises to 31 storeys and includes a sloping glass roof. Credit: via consultation documents

As well as the tower, which features an angled glass canopy roof, the adjoining grade two-listed Union Bank Building will be converted into hotel rooms. 

Avison Young is advising Lamington Group on planning. An application is expected to be submitted to Manchester City Council this summer. 

Lamington, which claims to have already built the world’s first net zero whole life carbon hotel in London, acquired the site last September after several failed attempts to redevelop it. 

The plot has an extant planning permission for 23-storey tower proposed by Japanese hotel group Toyoko, from whom Lamington bought the plot. 

Lamington is a family-owned developer based in London.

Further details can be found on the consultation website.