Manchester to oppose offices-to-homes plan

MANCHESTER is set to follow the City of London in seeking an exemption from government proposals to allow offices to be converted into flats without planning permission.

The government believes the move will increase housing supply and wants to introduce the change in the spring for a three-year trial.

The council will argue that the loss of office space in the city could restrict future economic growth in Manchester and the wider area.

There is around 15 million sq ft of office space in the city and the council says economic growth over the next 15 years is predicated on further large scale commercial development.

A document prepared for a council executive meeting says: “There is a danger that decisions to convert office space to residential, that are commercially attractive for landowners based on today’s economy, will result in a reduction in the availability of office space that could weaken the city’s economy and threaten its ability to function effectively in the future.”

The council does not detail the areas it wants exempted but says, “those areas in which offices can be shown to be important to the city’s current and future economic growth”. This is likely to mean the city centre and the enterprise zone around Manchester Airport.

The government will consider exemptions on two grounds – to prevent the loss of a nationally significant economic asset; and to prevent substantial local economic impacts that are not outweighed by the benefits of new homes.

Proposed exemptions must be submitted by February 22.