Work starts on Forshaw’s £64.2m Manchester tower

Main contractor DOMIS has commenced enabling works for the developer’s 237-apartment and 88-bed hotel next to the Cornbrook Metrolink station, with a target completion date of winter 2028.

VIVERE Cornbrook will sit on a half-acre brownfield site when finished. Designed by Leach Rhodes Walker and developed by Forshaw Land and Property, the 24-storey tower will comprise 74 one-bed apartments, 158 two-bed ones, and five penthouses. A VIVERE hotel with 88 rooms will occupy the first to fourth floors.

Onsite amenities for residents include a gym, coworking lounge, games room, cinema, coffee bar, private dining facilities, and meeting rooms.

The project is funded through a £64.2m development finance facility from Maslow Capital.

The start on site follows just three weeks after the scheme secured Gateway 2 approval.

VIVERE Cornbrook is the largest residential project from Forshaw to date, according to chief executive Lyndon Forshaw.

He said: “This scheme represents a significant investment in Manchester and reflects our confidence in the city’s continued growth and appeal.”

Kingsley Thornton, managing director of DOMIS, stated: “This is a challenging build on a compact city-centre site, but these are exactly the kind of complex projects DOMIS is known for delivering.

“Our focus is on bringing the scheme forward safely, efficiently and to the highest possible standard, while maintaining the quality and pace required for a development of this scale.”

Forshaw noted VIVERE Cornbrook’s role within the larger Manchester Waters masterplan overseen by Peel Waters.

Peel’s vision for the 26-acre Manchester Waters comprises 4,000 homes and 10 acres of public realm on and around Pomona Island. VIVERE Cornbrook sits at the gateway of the scheme.

Forshaw said: “From thoughtfully designed apartments and penthouses to amenity spaces including wellness, coworking and hospitality facilities, our ambition is to create a destination that sets a new standard for living and staying at Manchester Waters.”

Peel Waters managing director James Whittaker welcomed the start on site of VIVERE Cornbrook, calling the scheme a “landmark project”.

“As the tallest tower delivered within Manchester Waters to date, it will stand as a powerful statement of confidence in the future of this neighbourhood and Manchester as a whole,” Whittaker said.

He added later: “Working alongside Forshaw Land & Property Group and DOMIS, we’re creating more than a building; we’re helping to establish a new destination at the gateway to Pomona Island and continuing the evolution of Manchester Waters into one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects.”

To review the application for VIVERE Cornbrook, search reference 139133/FO/2024 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.

The project team behind VIVERE Cornbrook’s successful planning application included Lichfields, Jameson Acoustics, Renaissance, Oxford Archaeology, Redmore, GIA, Urban Green, Wrights, Futureserv, SK Transport, Tim Claxton Property, Artal, and Pagerpower.