Plans in for Renaker skyscraper cluster

Renaker has lodged a planning application for four residential towers of between 38 and 64 storeys to the South of Manchester city centre, providing more than 1,400 flats.

The towers on the site of the Owen Street car park in Castlefield are expected to reach at least 37, 44, 50, and 62 storeys each.

The apartments will be supported by a three-storey amenity building, which will include facilities for residents such as an indoor tennis court, swimming pool and spa, gymnasium, studios, cinema screen, rooftop café bar with terrace and private garden, entertaining and home office and business facilities.

There will also be 95,000 sq ft of public realm around the River Medlock, with the largest space equaling the size of Exchange Square in Manchester city centre. There will be three levels of basement parking with around 700 spaces.

At a pre-planning consultation event for the scheme held in January, CQ Investments, the Renaker subsidiary bringing forward the project, said that it intended to start construction in the third quarter of 2016 with a build period for the scheme anticipated to span four-and-a-half years, with the entire scheme operational in 2020.

Activity has already begun to clear the car park ready for a start on site.

The scheme was designed by SimpsonHaugh & Partners, and echoes a project that the studio designed for West Properties for the same site which was approved in 2008.

Renaker bought the site from Morgan Stanley last year, after it was put on the market in a sell-off of former West assets in Manchester city centre. Two other sites, Origin in Princess Street and Renaissance Hotel in Deansgate, were bought by Urban & Civic.

The scheme adheres to the principles of Manchester City Council’s adopted development framework for the Great Jackson Street area which was approved in 2007, with the Owen Street plot earmarked as appropriate for high-rise buildings.

The planner is Deloitte Real Estate.

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Benidorm here we come…. bland, non descript…

By Craig

I love these, it’s crazy that were seeing a 200 metre tall building outside of London. Shows how much confidence there is here now.

By Denzell

I think it *could* look OK. Benidorm is a bit more brutal than this lot.

By Jeff Suster

Manchattan.

By Elephant

It will look like Mandela House, Peckham in about 6 years time.

By Rodders

Look. This will never get built. 62 storeys and indeed 50 storeys does not stack up financially. The only way the no.s will work is if they think they can charge London rents / values (are Manchester rents now higher than Zone 2/3 London?). We are talking £1,750 – £2,000 pcm for a 1 bed apartment? Or values of £500 per sq ft. I know the city council would love to see Manchester have a tower of this size, but would they rather this site finally get redeveloped or just have a ridiculous scheme with planning consent on it.

By Realist Surveyor

Really dislike the look of Manchester now they seem to be excepting anything that’s offered ,Desperate times for my city.

By Carol

The view of Beerham from Exchange square is grand.With these behind it will be something remarkable for a regional city.Don’t forget River street,Whitworth Street West and Axis are due to be completed too around 2018/20.

By Elephant

Erm Realist Surveyor, they’ve already started site clearance, and Renaker have a proven track record for delivering on their proposals….

By SH

Elephant. This will not get built. Beetham went into administration after doing their tower. What does that tell you about these type of developments. Actually I hope I am wrong as this will be very positive.

By Realist Surveyor

You’re all a bunch of moaning tossers on here.

By Anonymous

Play nice people, this is a website for professionals.

By Teacher

Looks great, cant wait to see it completed

By Jack

Since when did Benidorm have high class glass towers?

‘Realist Surveyor” talks utter cr4p about the rental prices which would be needed to make this viable.

Renaker have already started site clearance.

Renaker build and get things done! This is not some small time developer who has overly ambitious plans that will never make it to fruition.

This can only enhance Manchester’s skyline and its overall appearance. What is wrong with people on here? If it was up to them, Manchester would still look like it did back in the early 90’s, i.e. drab and ununspired.

By AC1

I feel certain that this is our time.We need to get rid of this mentality that we cannot build as big as London.Did Chicago and Detroit think.like that when they were building their skylines,that they couldn’t build like New York?If they get built and are empty it is better than car parks.

By Elephant

Lots of uneducated nimbys coming out of the woodwork to condemn this. People who’d rather see a poorly kept surface carpark prevent these ‘eyesores’ spoiling their ‘fantastic’ view of …. well surface carparks. Never fails to amaze me. If you live in a city you have to be an utter moron to not expect it to progress.

Look forward to seeing these sprout up!

By The Squirrel's Nuts

I wish MCC planners would gain a bit of command. The waves of development are fantastic and it’s positive news everyday about developers being ready to invest in Manchester immediately.

It’s just so chaotic. There’s no cohesion anywhere. There are towers just sprouting all over the show. None of it matches. No synchronisation to be seen anywhere. They’re just saying yes to everything like their desperate. They need to have a little more confidence and show a little more style.

By TC

Renaker’s build quality and finish is usually very low end of the market, certainly not for longevity.

By JS

I would agree with TC to an extent at the randomness of these towers.However,there will be quite a few in the Whitworth street/Deansgate area with these proposals,Axis and River street,plus the Whitworth Street West one.Then there is going to be a cluster around Greengate/Victoria/NOMA.So we are getting there.Something needs to be done about Piccadilly plaza.Totally re- cover it in glass.

By Elephant

This is just the warm up, Don.

By Heng Su

Looking forward to this one. Are they al being built at once?

By Charles

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