PLANNING | The Christie set for £150m Paterson consent
Plans for The Christie’s redevelopment of the fire-damaged Paterson Building are to be discussed at Manchester City Council’s planning committee on 22 August. In recent months, the scheme has proved controversial with Withington residents, however the council is set to approve the project due to The Christie’s “absolutely vital and ground-breaking” work.
Also at committee will be Greenlane Properties’ Malmaison hotel, a conversion of Pearl Assurance House on Princess Street, and the scaled-down return of Alumno’s proposal for student housing on Cambridge Street, which are both recommended for approval.
RECCOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL
Paterson Building, The Christie
Number of storeys: Three, seven, 10
Size: 270,000 sq ft
Planner: Turley
Architect: BDP
Developer: The Christie NHS
Structural, civil, and building services engineers: Arup
Construction partner: Interserve
Plans for the £150m redevelopment of the Paterson Building after a fire damaged the original site in 2017 are due to be approved. The building is set to include biomedical research laboratories, consultant work spaces, collaboration spaces, a basement, and a café.
The Christie has been through an extensive consultation process on the plans, but the scheme remains controversial with some local residents who oppose the scheme. The ‘Rethink the Paterson’ campaign, supported by Didsbury West Cllr Greg Stanton, state the building would be “inappropriate for a residential area.”
More than 800 letters and emails were received from residents and members of the public, 484 in support and 330 against.
Comments of support state the proposal “has been well thought out and will have minimal impact for those residents surrounding it”, and “will provide a world-class facility for cancer research that has the potential to improve outcomes for cancer patients. The Christie is a world class hospital that needs to stay at the forefront of cancer research.”
Pearl Assurance House, Princess Street
Number of rooms: 70
Number of storeys: 7
Agent + planning architect: Stephenson Studio
Architect: Leach Rhodes Walker
Developer: Greenlane Properties
Plans for the conversion of Pearl Assurance House on Princess Street into a 70-room hotel are set to be approved at next week’s planning committee. The proposal would include a seven-storey extension to the rear of the site, and a two-storey extension which would replace the existing sixth floor and create a rooftop bar. The hotel is set to be ran by Malmaison, trading under Hotel du Vin.
Pearl Assurance House was originally built as an office with shops by architect Beaumont + Sons in the early 1950s.
There have been several objections submitted by surrounding occupiers. These include issues with the loss of car parking spaces, the cause of harm to the adjacent Town Hall, and that a hotel and licensed premises are “unsuitable to the area.”
84 Cambridge Street
Number of rooms: 82
Number of storeys: 12, 3
Agent: GL Hearn
Architect: Carson & Partners
Developer: Alumno Group
Planning consultant: Turley
Interior design: Ben Kelly Design
Alumno’s student halls are back at committee again after its refusal in April, due to its potential negative impact on neighbouring properties, reduction of daylight and increased anti-social behaviour. At the time the proposal was described as “a giraffe among hamsters” due to its disproportionate height.
The scheme has since been reduced from 12-storeys across the site, to 12-storeys and a partial three-storey development at the rear. The project is still set to see the demolition of the two-storey Church Inn pub. CAMRA, the campaign for real ale, has objected to the scheme, citing the pub’s demolition is not the first in a long line of recent closures in the area.
