Plans lodged for 100,000 sq ft office overlooking Parsonage Gardens

A 14-storey replacement for 1 North Parade and 5 Parsonage in Manchester, featuring a 7,000 sq ft ground floor restaurant, is being progressed by Beaconsfield Commercial.

A planning application for the 100,000 sq ft office project has been submitted to Manchester City Council more than five years after Beaconsfield first mooted the idea of redeveloping the site.

Designed by Squire & Partners, the scheme overlooks Parsonage Gardens and would see both 1 North Parade and 5 Parsonage knocked down.

Beaconsfield explored the possibility of refurbishing the buildings but found that the cost of a refurbishment would be greater than the rental returns that could be achieved. Neither building is listed.

The development, first proposed in late 2020, started out life at 17 storeys and with a more contemporary design.

However, following feedback from Historic England, the scheme was reworked from a material standpoint so that it would be more in-keeping with the vernacular of the conservation area.

Deloitte is advising on planning matters and Planit is the landscape architect. The project team also features GIA, Crookes Walker Consulting, RLB, Chroma Consulting, G&T, Curtins, Miller Goodall, Orion Fire Safety, and Heritage Architecture.

To learn more about the scheme, search for reference number 144653/FO/2025 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.

Beaconsfield’s scheme is by no means the only one coming forward within the St Mary’s Parsonage regeneration zone, which could change significantly over the coming years.

Bruntwood SciTech had plans to replace Alberton House approved in 2021 and demolition of the building completed recently. Gary Neville’s Relentless Developments is waiting in the wings to take that project forward.

Relentless has also recently acquired Reedham House, which has permission for a part-refurb, part new-build office scheme secured by Property Alliance Group, and is development manager for Investec on the high-profile Kendals project.

Elsewhere, Oval Real Estate has consent to redevelop Albert Bridge House into a mixed-use scheme featuring both offices and apartments in buildings up to 49 storeys.