New building has changed city’s skyline for good

Manchester officially now has the tallest building in the UK outside of London.

A ceremony was held yesterday to mark the fact that the South Tower in the Deansgate Square scheme has now reached its highest point.

The 65 storey skyscraper looms over the Beetham Tower, which until now had been the tallest building in the city.

And the 200 metre tall skyscraper has changed the skyline forever and symbolises the changing face of the city over the last ten years.

The statistics linked to the new building are mind-boggling.

The new building will eventually house 496 high new apartments and is part of a scheme made up of 1,500.

The development will include shops, new public squares, restaurants and a cinema. There will be a rooftop garden for those with a head for heights, a new business centre, a gym, spa and indoor swimming pool.

Ceremony at Deansgate Square

There is also a tennis court, sports hall and football pitches.

The whole scheme will take five years to complete and the first tenants are due to move in next May.

Around 500 people are currently work on the scheme which has created a new town on the edge of Manchester city centre.

Local politicians, dignitaries and business leaders attended a topping out ceremony yesterday.

Building firm Renaker is the driving force behind the scheme.

Chief executive Daren Whitaker said: “Deansgate Square is a ground-breaking development bringing new levels of sophistication and unrivalled residents’ facilities to the heart of Manchester city centre.

“The topping out of the South Tower is a significant moment on this project – which, when completed, will deliver over 2.3 million sq ft of aspirational new real estate.”

Renaker has been working  with Simpson Haugh Architects, designers of some of the UK’s most iconic buildings.

Before the South Tower, Manchester’s tallest building was Beetham Tower, which is 169 metres in height.