Green light nears for 32-storey Manchester scheme

Proposals to build three residential towers rising up to 32 storeys high on the edge of Manchester city centre are on the verge of securing the green light, while eye-catching schemes by Fred Done and Beech Holdings are also set to be determined.Manchester City Council’s planning committee is due to review a variety of high-profile projects across the city centre.One of the schemes on the agenda is DeTrafford Estates Group’s full planning application to demolish existing buildings on a rectangular site bordered by Great Jackson Street to the south-west and Owen Street to the north-east to make way for a major residential scheme. The site, referred to as Plot E in the Great Jackson Street Framework published in 2015, is located between Deansgate train station and the Mancunian Way.The applicant wants to create a five-storey podium below towers rising a further 27, 21 and 13 storeys tall featuring 399 private apartments, 50 retirement suites, 7,266 sq ft of commercial space, and a rooftop restaurant for residents. The tallest tower within the SimpsonHaugh-designed scheme would be a grey brick colour, the middle block would be a more muted red/orange brick colour, and the smallest would be a warm red brick colour. The 1.2-acre site lies next to the under-construction Owen Street development, which includes about 1,500 apartments across four storeys of which the highest will be 64 storeys tall.Ahead of the meeting, a report by planning officers has recommended that councillors should be minded to approve the scheme.Meanwhile, Betfred co-founder Done’s controversial proposal to develop a 122-bedroom aparthotel in the Northern Quarter is again scheduled to go before councillors.The full planning application by Tibst, which counts Done among its directors, to demolish all existing buildings on land bounded by High Street, Back Turner Street, Shudehill and Soap Street to make way for an aparthotel rising up to 13 storeys high is also due to be considered. The proposed new-build designed by 5plus has been earmarked for Amsterdam-based aparthotel business Zoku as its first UK site.The application was scheduled to be considered by councillors on 16 November 2017 but was deferred to enable a site visit to take place. The committee then resolved to defer a decision on 14 December to enable planning officers to discuss the possibility of reducing the height of the Shudehill component and allow further negotiations regarding the waste management strategy with the applicant.However, Tibst subsequently confirmed that it considered this to be an appropriate scheme for the site and requested that the committee determined the proposal as it stands. The scheme had again been recommended for approval by planning officers ahead of the meeting.The planning committee opted to defer the decision but declared itself ‘minded to refuse’ the application, with the height of the proposed scheme singled out as the key concern for the committee. It also requested that a further report be prepared by planning officers setting out potential reasons for refusal ahead of a final decision.At the same meeting, councillors will review a full planning application by Beech Holdings to demolish existing buildings on a 0.5-acre site in the New Cross area next to the distinctive Skyline Central residential scheme and bounded by Rochdale Road to the north, Mason Street to the south, Thompson Street to the east, and Bendix Street to the west, paving the way for a 155-apartment development. One of the current occupiers of the site is the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, although a report prepared by planning officers said that the church uses it on a short-term lease and is currently seeking alternative premises.Beech Holdings is proposing to create 44 one-bedroom, 105 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom apartments for open-market sale, 3,100 sq ft of ground-floor commercial space split across two units, and rooftop terraces.Officers have recommended that councillors should be minded to approve Beech Holdings’ proposed scheme.