Trinity Islands sails through planning
Renaker’s £741m, 1,950-apartment proposal has secured consent from Manchester City Council.
The SimpsonHaugh-designed towers are divided between two 2.2-acre plots, which together are bounded by the River Irwell, Liverpool Road, Water Street and Regent Road. The plots, named C and D, are separated by Trinity Way.
The C plot is located east of Trinity Way. It would comprise two diamond-form skyscrapers with a crystalline façade. One tower would be 39 storeys, with 414 apartments. The other would be 48 storeys and have 521 apartments.
The D plot is to the west of Trinity Way. Its two towers have curved facades. One is 55 storeys with 483 apartments, while the other is 60 storeys with 532 apartments.
All of the towers would offer commercial space (the scheme offering a total of 4,000 sq ft) and residential amenities, including gyms, lounges and meeting rooms. Accroding to Renaker, “each proposed tower will feature interlocking and stepped internal amenity spaces and external terraces; cut into the building form to provide unique, double-height leisure spaces for residents”.
The application occupied the planning committee for less than 20 minutes, with the planning officers’ recommendation of approval receiving seven votes for, with two abstentions.
Much was made at the meeting of the open space to be brought to a problematic fringe area for the city, with planning development manager Dave Roscoe stressing that at three acres, the public space will be around 40% of the size of the much-vaunted new park at Mayfield, also accounting for 62% of the Trinity site’s total footprint.
As well as a £10m investment in the open space, Renaker will as part of its Trinity agreement commit £1.5m to the primary school now in development in the Crown Street area.
Renaker’s spokesperson at the meeting described the project as an opportunity to knit the area back into areas such as St John’s, adding that “Renaker is one of few developers with the experience and track record to deliver this project”.
The developer, which has indeed become renowned for delivery in the skyscraper field, delivering thel ikes of Deansgate Square, bought the site from Allied London in 2018, subsequently commissioning a redesign of the scheme.
Renaker’s professional team on Trinity Islands includes:
- Deloitte – planning
- SimpsonHaugh – architecture
- Ensafe – air quality
- TPM – landscape architect
- WSP – climate change and wind microclimate
- GIA – daylight, sunlight and overshadowing and solar glare
- Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture – heritage
- Matt Fisher – noise and vibration
- Ekosgen – socio-economic issues
- Chris Burnett Associates – townscape and visual impact
- Vectos – traffic and transport
- Curtins Consulting – water resources
In a statement, Reaker said: “High-quality and aspirational health and wellbeing facilities are planned for residents, along with homeworking and social spaces. Externally, spaces for small café bars will serve over three acres of new high-quality green public spaces. The striking elegant towers will sit on the River Irwell, and a new river walkway has been created.
“We look forward to delivering these new, iconic buildings, as well as new homes and facilities of the highest quality for residents, and for the wider community.”
