Plans tabled for multi-million-pound Motel One at 3 St Peter’s Square

Plans for the multi-million-pound redevelopment of 3 St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre into a 20-storey Motel One hotel and apartments block have been submitted.

Trafford Park-based Property Alliance Group has tabled the blue print for the 328-room hotel and 108 apartments above where Peterloo House – vacant since the 1970s – now stands.

If approved, Peterloo House would be demolished and the construction would begin soon after.

Alliance’s end-user client Motel One has become the largest provider of budget hotels in Germany, with UK facilities in Edinburgh and London as well as one its 298-bed hotel on Cross Street, opposite the Royal Exchange and its 330-bed Piccadilly hotel which opened in 2015.

Motel One currently has more than 55 hotels, with 14,000 rooms. It is now expanding its network outside Germany and is targeting 74 hotels and around 18,000 by the end of 2017.

The application also includes ancillary food and drink uses on the ground floor and eighth floor.

Alliance wholly owns a £190m portfolio consisting of industrial, offices, retail and leisure property, as well as serviced business centres and mixed use developments across the UK.

PAG acquired the property from The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society at the end of 2015 for an undisclosed sum and has since been working on proposals to redevelop the site.

Designed by Manchester-based Stephenson Studios in conjunction with Motel One’s architect Leach Rhodes Walker, plans for the new scheme include residential space above the hotel, replacing the former Royal London proposals for a 12-storey office.

Stefan Lenze, head of development at Motel One, said: “This is a perfect base for our third hotel in Manchester. The redevelopment of St Peter’s Square creates one of the most exciting urban spaces right in the heart of the city, so we look forward to working with Alliance to progress the development.”

Andy Lavin, development director at Alliancem added: “This scheme has been designed to complement the surrounding redevelopments and is in keeping with the St Peter’s Square’ masterplan which is fast approaching completion.

“The building will sit in the space between number one and two, providing a vibrant mix of amenities as part of the new vision for the Square.”