Green light given for new 17-storey city centre

Property Alliance Group has secured full planning consent for a new 17-storey hotel at 55 Portland Street in Manchester.

Planners at Manchester City Council unanimously gave the go ahead at a meeting yesterday, June 28.

Designed by Stephenson Studio, the existing 50-year-old office block on the corner of Sackville Street is already being demolished through a separate planning consent.

Following the council’s latest decision, it will be replaced with a four-star, 329-bed hotel which will create around 140 new jobs.

The facility will be operated by Dalata Hotel Group under its Clayton Hotel brand and include a ground-floor bar with restaurant at mezzanine level as well as a business centre with meeting rooms.

Construction is expected to start in November this year and be complete by 2021.

Andy Lavin, development director at Alliance, said: “This scheme has been developed to meet the huge demand for hotels in Manchester city centre.

“Investment across the city is rising and that’s also reflected in our 3 St Peter’s Square development, which will comprise two hotel operators within the same building.

“The site is very well suited to a hotel, providing easy access to Piccadilly, the Northern Quarter and Oxford Road.

“It will help to increase footfall for the surrounding restaurants and leisure providers, and complement the city’s thriving business and tourism offer.”

Dermot Crowley, Dalata Hotel Group deputy chief executive, said: “The Clayton hotel in Portland Street represents a significant opportunity for Dalata, in one of the busiest cities in the UK.

“Our Clayton Hotel at Manchester airport is performing extremely well and we are delighted to open another hotel in the city.

“We look forward to working with Property Alliance Group on this exciting development which is due to open in 2021.”

How Planning represented Alliance.