Port Street tower scaled back in bid for approval
Having been rejected by Manchester City Council’s planning committee twice, Affinity Living has reduced the height of its £154m development to appease councillors.
The developer’s 481-apartment build-to-rent scheme on Port Street has been reduced from 34 storeys to 33 so that it adheres to the height guidance set out in the Piccadilly Basin Strategic Regeneration Framework.
Councillors twice blocked the proposals against officers’ recommendations due to its height and Affinity Living, part of Select Property Group, is now hoping the development will be given the green light at the third time of asking.
Designed by SimpsonHaugh Architects, the project would be built on a 1.2-acre surface-level car park off Great Ancoats Street previously owned by Maryland Securities.
The 33-storey element of the project would front Port Street, while an 11-storey block would face Great Ancoats Street.
Deloitte Real Estate is the planning consultant for the project and Re:form is the landscape architect.
The scheme’s application number is 132489/FO/2021.
1 story is hardly a scale back
By Anonymous
The Ancoats NIMBYs and young councillors are about to receive a lesson in Planning legislation. Get it built, rental demands are sky high in the area and the surface car park has been a blot on the area for decades.
By 3D bloke
Fingers crossed for this. This one project will bring nearly 1000 extra residents to one plot in a walkable location. Get it built. People in Manchester need homes. These fringe sites have been an embarrassment for years and need to be developed out. Better people living here and working/socialising nearby than living in the suburbs and clogging up the roads.
By Sustainable Density
Having a ‘height guidance’ in the City centre is an absolute shambles by the way. The Cockneys are laughing at us!
By Verticality
The area has been an eyesore for years & these plans look awesome, get it built..
By Jeff Blair
Why is there a height limit in the city centre?
Let them build it high!
More homes for the city and rebuilding of the night time economy. Make sure adequate Doctors Surgeries, shops to support it and a park with trees.
By Manc
The planning officers know that if this goes to appeal it will be approved and the council will pick up the bill. It’s only a matter of time before this is approved one way or another.
By Anonymous
It’s not the height that’s the issue, it is a seriously bad design that has an unacceptable impact on a Grade II* listed building.
By 1981
It looks good and that car park really breaks up the cohesion of NQ from Ancoats. Get people in the city instead of commuting, relieve some rental pressure in the city, additional council tax and all that comes with it. It’ll ‘finish’ that element of Great Ancoats Street too! It redevelops a brownfield site. It’s staggering it needs a third bite of the cherry.
By M4 Resident.
Make it 60 storeys and something to be proud of.
By Bernard Fender
Appalling decision as this building will be totally disproportionate to to anything close by and have a significant negative impact on light to the surrounding area. Will anyone ever be brave enough to publish a photograph that accurately depicts this building rather than the chopped height publicity photographs that are currently used, including in this article, which are extremely misleading ! The area does need development but proportionately done.
By Concerned local resident
Still no pictures showing the true scale of this this building. Someone afraid of the truth?
By Mr persistent