Work starts on long-awaited £125m Manchester tower
Developer Vision Manchester is anticipating a 2026 completion date for its 37-storey apartment block off Whitworth Street West.
Domis has begun a four-month package of enabling works on Vision this week, following its appointment as the main contractor for the £125m Manchester city centre scheme in June.
Designed by Jon Matthews Architects, the scheme will deliver 327 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments next to the multi-million pound First Street financial and leisure district, which has recently been announced as the new Government Civil Service headquarters.
Residents living in Vision, previously known as Manchester Tower, will have access to a range of amenities including a gym, a yoga and spin studio, and a cinema, as well as a lounge area and workspaces.
Alliance Investments, the sales arm of Property Alliance Group, is the sales agent for the project, which has been in the works for more than eight years.
Brigantes won planning consent for the scheme in 2015. It was then reported that Inhabit Residential was bringing the project forward but work never started.
Inhabit, run by directors of Mercer Real Estate, was later dissolved in March 2021, according to Companies House.
Vision Manchester bought the site from Brigantes in 2021 for £8.75m and secured just shy of £80m to build the scheme.
Ronald Garrett, managing director of Alliance Investments, said: “Vision is the latest landmark tower in Manchester city centre and it is sure to be a popular destination for those who want to live in the heart of it all.
“We are proud of our track record of delivering superb developments in Manchester and Vision is a fantastic addition to our portfolio”
Paul Strutt, director at DOMIS, added: “Vision is set to be an impressive residential tower and we are delighted to continue with our success in delivering another flagship development for Manchester in this prominent location.”
Still shocked that there are so many expensive apartments being built in Manchester…it’s non stop. Shocked but also delighted.
By Anonymous
Finally! didn’t think this would go ahead and stay vacant for years.
By Anonymous
walking through town on any given evening this type of year and all the lights are on in those towers – seems to be great occupancy levels!
By manc
37 storeys is not enough for a prime city centre site. I’d reverse those numbers and build a 73 storey tower
By Giant Skyscraper Fan
There’s an awful lot of young professionals in Manchester these days. And most of them with more money than I have !
By Tom
The cancelling of HS2,and other banana skins, and Manchester just grinds them into the ground.
By Elephant
not convinced they have any funding beyond the enabling package!
By Louis
Complete eyesore
By Therealist
Yes, looked at this site nearly 20 years ago for a possible 10 storey hotel, how things have changed
Interesting the CGI does show the now almost completed nearby Viadux tower
By Anonymous
Heard it all before. Believe it when I see it with this project
By MancMania
This looks out of context with its surroundings. From the pic the building looks ok. I think this will detract from Beetham tower, which is iconic for Manchester. A bit like I do not like that the Transamerica Pyramid is now getting overshadowed in San Francisco – alongside the Golden Gate Bridge it was an icon of SF.
By Chris
The uglification of a once- handsome city goes unchecked as the blandemic continues.
So depressing
By Anonymous
Whether it gets built or not here is a city that does not rest on it’s laurels, it has verve and imagination, it has history but is not buried in the past.
By Anonymous
They should be a lot taller to facilitate the future growing population of city centre living people will have to move further and further out of Manchester which will also push up the price of apartments
By Jimmy
The orange cladding is horrendous and so too are the red and yellow cladded buildings nearby. Why not add a blue one and we would have a collection of all the primary colours.
By John
Cheer up Anonymous 4.23 , it’s in the right zone with lots of others and some of us love them. You’ll get some one day , just wait.
By Anonymous
Chris , I think this picture is shown way out of context to try to emphasise this tower. As anyone who knows the area now will attest to , there are a lot of towers there now including one right next to the Beetham depending which way you look at it. This will be one of the smaller ones once it gets built.
By John
‘long awaited’? who exactly was waiting for it? certainly not us, people who live here. yet another shoebox with hamster cages with no new capacity in health services, water supply, roads, public safety, with no groceries, not enough parking, just to make money. Pathetic. and for goodness sake, are those ‘designs’ generated by Windows XP word processor? Christ…
By local
I agree with @Chris, the iconic Beetham Tower is really getting lost in the most unimaginative cluster of towers, first axis then viadux now this… awful designs, just plain square towers that add nothing to the architectural heritage of Manchester. Is this dull, cost conscious architecture really what we are going to leave behind us, it’s just sad.
By Michael
A hiddeous orange eyesore. Like the red and yellow boxes next to it. I agree with Anonymous it is the uglification of the City.
By John
I’m indifferent to the Beetham Tower, but arguing that new towers have an impact on the Beetham is ridiculous, they’re mostly designed by the same architect in the same bland modernist international style, with its only significance being the first bland edifice in the City and frankly if it were replaced tomorrow most people wouldn’t really care apart from a few enthusiasts
By Anonymous
Really want this to happen, but very sceptical beyond the enabling works. Fingers crossed though, a great scheme on a wasted piece of land.
By Mr T
OK, it is fairly grim to look at – but at least it doesn’t have an electronic sign on it!
By Anonymous
Never mind John. Towering success isn’t for everyone. If you do get a few good designs you’ll grow to love them too. Just in the right place . Just need a council that recognises success and keeps the bungalows to the suburbs.
By Dan
I actually think this is an elegant design, I hope it gets built.
By Anonymous
This is zero architecture like the axis and Beecham buildings nearby.
By Anonymous
It would be great if PNW did a fact check on some of the absurd and ill informed comments that appear on here. Shoe box and hamster cage? Those who cared to do even the most rudimentary research would know that ALL schemes in Manchester meet national space standards. Grow up and stop throwing stones
By Factcheck
EGCC Group has been involved in this project since 2013 and previously brokered the site to a London-based PRS fund, Mercer, Real Estate Partners,.
As a joint-venture partner, EGCC Group in 2020 sourced, packaged, delivered, funded and secured pre-sales for this project. EGCC Group are very proud of what they have achieved in delivering this fantastic project.
The original architects remain Involved and Alliance Investments has also benefited from an introduction into the project from EGCC Group. EGCC Group remain as the JV delivery partner in this project.
Dean Hewart, director of EGCC Group followed this project passionately from 2013 and claims that it is his lifetime success in seeing this project live and currently with Domis being the main contractor.
From this project EGCC Group from its share of profits, wish to donate a sum to Manchester based affordable housing projects.
Dean Hewart (EGCC Group)
By Dean Hewart, EGCC Group