Vita tables plans for 34-storey Manchester student tower
Comprising 861 rooms and designed by Tim Groom Architects, the development would be built on the corner of Hulme Street and Medlock Street in the city’s First Street district.
Vita Group has submitted a planning application for the project, which features 34-storey and 12-storey elements.
Study and social spaces, as well as a gym, are included in the development.
When it was first unveiled last year, the scheme had 750 rooms. However, another 119 beds were added later in the year.
The project is situated on plot 9b at First Street next door to the GPA’s 100,000 sq ft office and close to another Vita/Groom collaboration, House of Social.
Currently under construction, the 14-storey House of Social will provide 576 student beds and a food hall on the ground floor.
Vita completed its inaugural First Street student scheme a decade ago and the plans for plot 9b would see the developer complete a hat-trick of PBSA projects at First Street, taking the number of Vita beds there to more than 1,700.
First Street and the area around it is one of Manchester’s fastest growing student clusters. As well as the various Vita schemes mentioned, plans from Student Roost for 1,000 PBSA beds within a 37-storey tower are also in the pipleine, while Downing is nearing completion of its mammoth Square Gardens scheme, which features elements of BTR, co-living, and student housing.
On the other side of First Street, Manner is hopeful of delivering 600 student beds where Hotspur Press currently stands, having secured planning approval last year.
To learn more about the latest plans, search for reference number 141786/FO/2024 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
The project team features Deloitte on planning and landscape architect TPM Landscape.
Other consultants working on the scheme are: Abacus, ROC Consulting, Futureserv, Design Fire Consultants, Fisher Acoustics, SLR Consulting, Project Four Construction, Element Sustainability, Pager Power, Penny Anderson Associates, Pre Construct Archaeology, Proximity, Enfusion, Amion Consulting, and ArcAero.
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Does MCR have a strict building policy that all towers must look this way? Such a boring building… again.
By PrestonBrummie
There’s some nice features to this (particular the low rise element) the tower however, I’m not convinced. That said, anything that detracts from the glass boxes next-door is a plus, regardless..
By Anonymous
They went out of their way to add 119 beds but not change that atrocious facade?
By M I Grant
Why so small? They could add another 34 floors and make much more money from these
By Anonymous
What an absolute nightmare, river street tower 2.0 we’ve had enough of these eyesores
By Mike
Good site for a student accommodation tower, but why not twice the size and twice as many beds?
By MC
It seem like very 1960 and 1970s building design like the same as city tower in Piccadilly which is old model design to be honest it will be nightmare because it NOT future design for student skyscraper like river street student tower is the best design for suitable for study tower than old design if go head but it shame they same old design it absolutely boring which is not very sensible design.
By Mr G J Kitchener
Someone is making a shed load of money out of first street moving to PBSA! Who collects all this land value?
By Ben
Happy new year folks. Shame such a prime city centre site isn’t at least 50 storeys!
By Giant Skyscraper Fan
Wasn’t the Downing Tower meant to be Co-Living? When dis that change, I do not recall a new planning application being submitted?
By Missing application
As stated in the article, the scheme is a mix of BTR, co-living, and PBSA. The application to change use of one of the blocks to PBSA was submitted in 2023 https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/downing-tables-plans-for-28-storey-manchester-pbsa/
By Dan Whelan
Re : Giant Skyscraper fan. Totally agree, it’s hard to get too excited about anything under 50 storeys. Other major cities around the world do it, why not us.
By Peter Chapman
People assuming that building higher makes more sense as they make more money, it doesn’t work like that. Building costs rise significantly once a building goes over a certain height. It’s why in the UK we have a lot of high rise buildings around the 30 stories mark. Manchester gives incentives for building higher, it’s one of the few cities that has got the process right it seems. 👍 of course there is more to it all but I have my dinner to eat sorry.
By Cristoforo