£75m scheme next to Gay Village goes on public view

A £75m plan to build a hotel and two apartment blocks on the edge of Manchester’s Gay Village has gone on public show.

The scheme was originally conceived almost 10 years ago but then abandoned by the previous owner of the site after the financial crash in 2008.

Developer Urban&Civic has now put the reworked concept on display at the nearby Doubletree Hilton Hotel.

The revised proposals for the plot at the corner of Princess Street and Whitworth Street are for two buildings of 14 and 13 storeys with a mix of about 240 high-quality one, two and three bedroom apartments – some with roof terraces, an 11-storey four star hotel, ground floor retail and restaurant units.

There will also be a landscaped public square and a 300-space basement car park for use by residents.

Urban&Civic’s Manchester-based development manager Andrew Lavin said the reworked design was seeking to create a contemporary reinterpretation of the historic contextual buildings within the Whitworth Street Conservation Area.

“Our vision is to create a vibrant development which complements and enhances the area and sensitively connects with its surroundings.

“We believe the introduction of retail and restaurant units on the ground floor level, showcasing some of the city’s finest eclectic artisans along with a landscaped public square will reinvigorate and re-energise this part of the city.”

As well as developing the site, Urban&Civic plans to retain the long-term management of the site.