Approval nears for Fred Done’s Northern Quarter scheme

Fred Done’s proposals to dismantle an iconic public sculpture and build almost 200 luxury apartments with four ground-floor commercial units in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter are on the verge of securing approval.A full planning application by a joint venture between Done’s development company Salboy and Factory Estates to redevelop a 0.7-acre site off Tib Street will be considered by Manchester City Council’s planning committee.The plot, opposite alternative indoor market Afflecks, is currently home to the Tib Street Horn and a 93-space surface car park.The Tib Street Horn was designed by Cornish sculptor David Kemp and sits on the remains of a Victorian building. It has been in place since 1999 and was part of a package of artwork, also including ceramic tiles, murals and poetry paving, that was introduced to help establish the Northern Quarter as a creative district.The IDP Group-designed scheme proposes that the Tib Street Horn is dismantled and donated to Manchester City Council, which could then re-erect the sculpture in another location at a later date.In its place, the development team is envisaging a new-build scheme rising up to ten storeys high within the Smithfield Conservation Area that features 183 apartments for sale. There would be 48 one-bed, 125 two-bed and two-three bed apartments, all with Juliette balconies.A residents’ roof garden and private penthouse gardens on the tenth floor are also proposed.On the ground floor, meanwhile, there would be four commercial units. These would be targeted at independent bars, cafes, restaurants and small retail operators.The scheme has attracted 103 letters of objection, including 46 objecting primarily to the removal of the Tib Street Horn.Councillors have been advised to approve the scheme in a report prepared by planning officers.Salboy, which counts Done among its directors, is behind a number of development projects across the region including 2 St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre, Trinity Way in Salford and Astley Point in Wigan.Euan Kellie Property Solutions is the scheme’s planning consultant and agent.