Flintoff towers plans rejected for a second time

A scheme backed by former cricketer Freddie Flintoff to build a skyscraper in central Manchester has been refused planning permission for a second time.

The 35-storey building was refused permission on the grounds that it would overshadow the Castlefield conservation area and the nearby St George’s Church.

Flintoff towers

The plans would have seen nearly 400 apartments built in the Britannia Basin, with the tallest of the two buildings facing onto the inner ring road.

The proposal was made up of two blocks of private flats for rent, one would have been 10 storeys and the other 35.

Council officers supported the scheme, viewing it as a ‘gateway’ to the city centre, smoothing over the ‘scar’ of the Mancunian Way.

Logik Developments offered to reduce the 35-storey tower by two storeys, and said that a local community group could use a room in the building for their monthly meetings.

Stephen Levrant from Heritage Architecture told councillors that the appearance of the structure was a ‘matter of subjectivity’.

“There’s no reason why taller buildings can’t reflect the values and achievements of our own time,” he said.

The ‘good quality’ apartments would enhance the conservation area, he added.

Local residents opposed what they had dubbed ‘Flintoff Towers,’ the building would have been ‘detrimental’ to communities living there.