Planning approval for Bruntwood’s eco-focused redevelopment of Pall Mall

Planning approval has been granted for the redevelopment of Grade II-listed Pall Mall in Manchester city centre.

Manchester property group Bruntwood will redevelop the King Street site to include 85,000 sq ft of office and hospitality space across three interlinked tower blocks.

The building was acquired in October 2021, and following planning approval, renovation works will begin early next year, with completion due for late 2023.

Having been vacant for around four years, Bruntwood says the building will now become the city’s first workspace aimed at the ‘consciously minded’. It will be home to businesses that demonstrate strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials and are striving to make wellbeing, sustainability and carbon neutrality part of their own strategy, with a common goal of creating real and lasting change for the world we live in.

By bringing together socially conscious companies, Bruntwood aims to establish an ecosystem of businesses that are mutually beneficial to one another and help the city realise its ambition to be more socially and environmentally sustainable.

The building will be targeting net zero carbon in operation with all energy supplied to the building derived from renewable sources, and intelligent building management technology will also be incorporated throughout.

Through retaining the existing structure, Bruntwood has avoided the need to rebuild, which would have resulted in approximately 7,900 tonnes of additional carbon emitted – equivalent to around 16,000 flights from London to New York. Once complete, Pall Mall will be targeting BREEAM ‘Very Good’ certification and an EPC B rating, which is a significant achievement for a Grade II-listed, 1960s building.

Pall Mall will be developed and managed by Bruntwood Works, and will form part of the £200m Pioneer programme that creates vibrant, community and innovation-focused workspaces centred on six key pillars of sustainability, biophilia, art, wellness, amenity and technology.

Neo, Blackfriars House, 111 Piccadilly, Bloc and The Alberton are also part of the Pioneer scheme in Manchester.

The fit-out will breathe new life into the old building, utilising a circular economy approach through its use of recycled and reclaimed furniture and materials, to create Bruntwood Works’ most sustainable serviced and leased office space to date, incorporating details such as timber partitions and reclaimed raised access floors.

Externally, Pall Mall will retain its Grade II-listed design to preserve its cultural importance, while the significant internal renovations will evolve this historic Manchester icon for the modern day.

The ground floor redesign will create a hospitality-style arrival experience for customers, which the Bruntwood Works Pioneer buildings are now known for.

The new entrance will also be repositioned to the centre of the building to create an outdoor piazza and covered terrace in a previously unused space, to provide further amenity for all customers. This will also help to ease congestion on busy King Street, creating a calming welcome experience.

A food and drink offering will also be included inside, while an additional retail space will be incorporated on King Street, adding further amenity to the cluster of Bruntwood’s city centre workspaces and the surrounding community.

Wellbeing is a key focus at Pall Mall, with a wellness studio and gym, cycle store, high end showers and changing area, towel service, drying room and ironing space all planned to encourage a healthy and productive workforce.

Pall Mall will also introduce a number of other new amenities, including a spectacular new roof terrace offering a place for customers to socialise, relax and unwind, or host their own events, all with views alongside historic King Street.

Further facilities include a coworking lounge, a range of multi-functional meeting rooms, screening room, as well as a full product range from day passes as part of the Pay As You Go programme, to serviced, managed and leased office space. Pall Mall will also include the first ‘pitch and presentation’ area and conferencing pods in the Bruntwood Works portfolio of workspaces, as the firm seeks to enhance its customer offering.

The interior refurbishment of the building will be a nod to the building’s 1960s beginnings, creating a mid-century look and feel featuring warm timbers, natural finishes, and rich, earthy tones. Externally, the windows and mosaics will be restored and the windows will be sensitively replaced with like-for-like alternatives, in keeping with the existing style of the building that will also support energy saving and the overall carbon reduction of the building.

Andrew Butterworth, commercial director for Bruntwood Works, said: “Having received planning approval, we are now one step closer to realising our vision for the new Pall Mall.

“Given the historic nature of the building, the plans were complex, needing to be sympathetic to the heritage of the site while also remaining consciously minded and providing a dynamic and innovative space for our customers.”

He added: “We are deeply aware of our responsibility to help both our customers and the cities we operate within to achieve their sustainability goals. Alongside our existing cluster of forward-thinking city centre workspaces, the iconic Pall Mall will act as a blueprint for sustainable listed renovations, and help our customers and the wider city to reach its net zero ambitions.”

The Pall Mall project team includes architect Sheppard Robson, structural engineers DWLLP, heritage consultant Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture, Deloitte as planning consultants, along with Ramboll providing sustainability consulting, mechanical electrical and plumbing.