Plans submitted for 13-storey flagship office building at Mayfield

The planning application process for phase one of the Mayfield development in central Manchester has been completed with the submission of plans for a flagship 13-storey office building at the heart of The Mayfield Partnership’s transformational £1.4bn project.

Designed by architects Morris + Company, the 244,000 sq ft building, which will be known as The Poulton, will feature green, landscaped roof terraces and stunning views of the new 6.5-acre Mayfield Park to be laid out around the River Medlock that runs through the middle of the site.

The Poulton is named after George Poulton, a ‘world-renowned amphibious man and champion scientific swimmer’ who made himself famous in the 1850s as a promoter of public health at Mayfield Public Baths, which originally sat on the site.

He gave swimming lessons, ran sporting events and encouraged the public to understand the health benefits of regular bathing by giving exhibitions of underwater acrobatics, drinking pints of milk and smoking a pipe under the water.

In the same spirit of public gathering, The Poulton, designed to be home to innovation companies, has a double-height flexible ground floor which will be open to the public throughout the day and evening for uses that could include well-being activities, sport, leisure and co-working.

The application for The Poulton concludes the phase one planning application process that began last month when the Partnership submitted detailed proposals for a smaller, 70,000 sq ft tech-hub office building, a 543-space multi-storey car park and a 6.5-acre public park – the first to be built in Manchester city centre in 100 years.

Subject to consent, work will commence on building phase one in mid-2020.

The addition of the larger office building to the proposals is a response to strong occupier interest in Mayfield and in Manchester as a leading business location, thanks to its cultural assets, brilliant talent pool, world-class universities and national and international connectivity.

The larger floorplates complement the smaller office offer in the most recently submitted application, and will appeal to a wide range of occupiers.

At 30-acres Mayfield is one of the UK’s largest and most important regeneration opportunities.

The new commercial spaces will sit alongside a range of historic buildings, including the landmark station building on Fairfield Street and Mayfield depot, which are being retained as part of the plans.

The Depot, a new international live music venue, opened in September and plays host to 30,000 visitors every week.

Located opposite Manchester Piccadilly Station, the majority of the Mayfield site has been under-utilised for 30 years.

James Heather, development director for U+I and the Mayfield Partnership, said: “The views of Mayfield Park and potential for a range of engaging public spaces on the ground floor that this building will deliver represents a superb opportunity for a company to be at the vanguard of the new community at Mayfield.

“Manchester has an abundance of both brilliant home-grown businesses and an increasing roll-call of global companies looking to invest in the city, meaning there is strong demand for stunning workspaces, which the first phase of Mayfield will deliver in tandem with exceptional community assets.

“Mayfield’s scale and incredible connectivity makes it an opportunity unrivalled anywhere in the UK.”

The Mayfield project is being brought forward by the Mayfield Partnership, a public-private venture, comprising LCR, Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and regeneration specialist U+I.

The Partnership’s long-term vision is to create an iconic, £1.4bn mixed-use community over the next 10-15 years. This includes the 6.5-acre managed park, world-class office space, homes and leisure facilities, alongside further extensive public realm.

The wider Mayfield regeneration will potentially provide 1,500 homes, 155,000 sq m of office space, a 650-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure space.

It is envisaged Mayfield will create more than 10,000 office, retail, leisure and construction jobs.