Development to breathe new life into historic building

A planned transformation of a much-loved building in Manchester into a residential and commercial scheme has been backed.Manchester City Council granted planning permission for the transformation of 32-34 Laystall Street, located just off Great Ancoats Street.Developer McCauls and Great Places Housing Group are jointly delivering the development, which features 89 new homes and 8,000 sq ft of work space.The site includes the grade II-listed 32-34 Laystall Street, Armitage Showroom building. McCauls will fully restore the listed Armitage Showroom building which dates to 1879 into high quality flexible, co-working and plug and play office space. The building will be extended to the corner of Laystall Street and Pigeon Street with a contemporary addition to provide a new vertical circulation system.To the rear of the showroom, Great Places Housing Group will build a new nine-storey residential development configured in a horse-shoe around a landscaped courtyard. The 89 one and two bed apartments will offer a mix of shared ownership and social rent.