£154m city centre residential tower gets green light, at third attempt

Manchester City Council’s planning committee today (July 28) approved plans for a £154m city centre residential scheme, having previously blocked it for breaching the strategic regeneration framework (SRF).

Applicant, Affinity Living, reduced the height of the block from 34-storeys to 33, after the committee refused permission by five votes to four at last month’s committee meeting on the grounds it was one-storey over the regulations, despite planning officers recommending approval.

The revised scheme will now provide 481 homes, compared with 485 in the original plan, as well as commercial space, in Port Street, Piccadilly ward.

It has been approved at the third time of asking, having been blocked twice before by councillors. It failed on the first occasion on the basis of the size and scale and impact on nearby conservation areas.

The site will now support a part-33, part-11, part-nine, part-seven storey building.

A total of 211 letters of objection had previously been received from two rounds of notification, compared with 34 letters of support.

Notes in today’s planning docutments said: “The applicant has subsequently revised the scheme and has reduced the height to 33 storeys in order to fully comply with the Piccadilly Basin SRF. In light of this, officers cannot present a potential reason for refusal.”

The committee heard objections from residents’ representative, Zoe Mills, who implored councillors: “Please, please be brave, we value your support. Please protect our area and the residents.”

In response, the applicant’s agent told the committee they had listened to, and responded positively, to the committee’s concerns last month and reduced the height of the tower, “at considerable cost”.

Planning officer, Dave Roscoe, told the committee that there were no issues that haven’t been raised or debated before in regard to the application.

Cllr Jon-Connor Lyons said the scale of the development would compromise the economic and social identity of the Northern Quarter.

And Cllr John Leech said he was going to oppose the application due to a lack of affordable housing in the development.

However, the application was passed by seven votes to three, and one abstention.

Affinity Living is part of Select Property Group, whose CEO, Adam Price, said: “Select Property has developed an outstanding reputation for delivering some of the city’s best build to rent accommodation, such as Embankment West, home to Laurence Place and Exchange Point.

“Now, works can begin on Port Street, a site which was long overdue for significant investment and promises to deliver the very best apartments the city has to offer, creating a vibrant community.

“The plans will marry this desirable location with a superb product which responds to its surroundings, bringing together Piccadilly, Ancoats and The Northern Quarter.”

Also passed by the committee today was a scheme for four modern mews houses in a cobbled courtyard in the emerging Piccadilly East neighbourhood of Manchester city centre.

It is the first scheme by Victor, the development arm of Salford-based MC Construction.

The proposals are for four-storey townhouses on Ducie Street, with designs by architects Corstorphine & Wright. Paul Butler Associates acted as planning consultants.

The houses will be constructed on land which is presently a car park and lies at the south east corner of Paradise Wharf, next to ‘The Stables,’ a converted Grade II-listed commercial block wholly owned by Victor. The southern elevation, which will be the rear of the properties, will overlook the Ashton Canal.

With three bedrooms, open-plan living spaces, roof terraces, large recessed balconies and integrated garage, cycle and storage areas, the homes are designed to appeal to families seeking the convenience of the city centre from a sustainable location, close to transport links.

A CGI of Paradise Mews

The development will be called Paradise Mews and, to blend with the heritage surroundings, the houses will be built mainly from red brick with small, recessed pop-ups in glazed cladding providing access to the roof terraces.

The provision of significantly sized homes will add to the mix of housing provision in an area set to experience significant activity. The recently-completed Oxygen Tower sits on nearby Store Street, where plans have been approved for Clarion Housing Group and H20 Urban to deliver 66 apartments for shared ownership and for developer M1 Piccadilly to build a luxury gold residential tower.

McCauls’ Laystall Street scheme will deliver 89 discounted homes along with 8,000 sq ft of workspace. The council has also granted permission for a three-year period for a mixed-use development with retail, office and leisure facilities, including a beer hall and night market, at the former Presbar Diecastings site next door to Paradise Wharf.

Mike Purcell, a director of MC Construction and Victor’s development director, said: “We have been securing brownfield sites in close proximity to transport hubs for several years and are pleased to have received consent for our first Victor development.

“MC Construction will act as main contractor for the scheme, which utilises our in-house resource and ensures we oversee the development throughout the construction phase.”

He added: “Since purchasing the site in 2018 from architect Ian Finlay, we have seen strong investment and development in Ancoats and, more recently, in the immediate vicinity. We are delighted to build on Ian’s work which commenced in the 1980s when he showed both foresight and courage in his restoration of The Stables.”

Work is due to start in early 2023 with practical completion expected approximately 12 months later.