Pinsent Masons and Hill Dickinson to break rent record at Gary Neville’s St Michael’s development
Two major law firms have confirmed long term leases on offices in Gary Neville’s £400m landmark development launched in Manchester today (5 July 2023), while top Peruvian/Japanese restaurant Chotto Matte has also committed to the roof top site.
Law firms, Pinsent Masons and Hill Dickinson have signed “record-breaking deals” for 26,842 sq ft and 18,192 sq ft respectively at No.1 St Michael’s.
Former England and Manchester United footballer turned entrepreneur said the 15 years of hard work on the site between Albert Square and Deansgate will create a “world-class destination” unrivalled anywhere else in the city centre.
Phase two of the scheme, which includes retention of many of the original features of Bootle Street police station is being developed by Salboy, the developer founded by bookmaker Fred Done and his business partner Simon Ismail.
The whole mixed-use scheme has seen Neville’s Relentless Developments work alongside funder KKR, Done’s Salboy and Manchester City Council.
The ever busy Neville, soon to be appearing on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, also said No.1 St Michael’s will be the first fully Net Zero Carbon commercial development in the city, both in operation and delivery.
Construction is soon to begin on 41-storey tower which will be home to a 162-bed 5 Star international hotel brand plus 217 luxury residences, reported to be Marriott’s W Hotels brand, which will be announced “in the autumn”.
Neville has also purchased the Reform synagogue on the site, which will be demolished and the proceeds, understood to be £15m, will be used to fund a charitable foundation and new place of worship in the city centre.
Iconic “Nikkei restaurant brand”, Chotto Matte will occupy the roof terrace while a public square will see the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub retained following a substantial refurbishment.
Kurt Zdesar, Chotto Matte founder and managing director, was at the launch, and said: “We’ve always had our eyes on the city and believed it is a place we can do business. We were successful in winning over Gary and his team and convincing them we were the right choice for them in this scheme. This is the most exciting project we have on our books right now.”
Zdesar opened the first Chotto Matte in London’s Soho in 2013, then Miami in 2018 followed by Toronto, Doha and plans for its first franchise agreement in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The whole scheme has been designed by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Hodder & Partners.
Bowmer and Kirkland started work on No.1 St Michael’s in January 2022 with completion due in 2024. Salboy’s exclusive build partner, Domis, is set to start on No.2 St Michael’s imminently.
Neville has faced fierce opposition from heritage campaigners and city centre residents over the scheme, which he said has been 15 years in the making.
Thanking his partners for their commitment he also said he has learned a great deal from the experience, and told TheBusinessDesk.com: “In that 2015-2017 period the two dark towers proposition received substantial objections. You think you’ve a great idea, but if you don’t take the community with you, especially in Manchester, then you’re not going to have success.”
Although there will be no affordable housing in the luxury development, Neville said he and the group will be making a contribution to create affordable housing elsewhere in the city.
He added: “This is an extraordinary scheme that has been no less than 15 years in the making and we believe it to be the most sustainable commercial space in the city. I’d like to thank all our partners who have been with me on this journey and remained committed to the vision to transform this pivotal area of the city into a global landmark.
“We’ve worked so hard to create a development that is distinctive in both its imaginative design and heritage as well as its location connecting the city’s business district with the historic civic quarter. Signing a deal with two of the world’s most reputable law firms and setting a new headline rent as we launch is testament to that.
“Progress is now beginning to accelerate as we approach the latter stages of No.1 and we set our sights on the world-class leisure and residential elements that will be delivered for No.2.”
Introduced by his Relentless Developments colleague Anthony Kilbride, Neville also launched the scheme alongside Strategic Director Growth & Development, Becca Heron, and applauded the support he and Kilbride have had from the Council.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “St Michael’s will be a defining regeneration project for our city centre. Following a long road to bring this challenging, long underused site forward, it’s a welcome milestone that construction will start over the summer on a new icon of our city’s skyline – and the latest destination neighbourhood for Manchester – supporting the city’s growth and creating employment opportunities.”
Neil Black, Manchester Office Head at Pinsent Masons, said: “Our move into St Michael’s signals an important era for us as we continue to develop and invest in our people, clients and communities across the region.”
Keith Feeny, Director of IT and Operations at Hill Dickinson, said: “Our decision to invest in St Michael’s represents our commitment to the continued growth of Hill Dickinson, our commitment to the wider cultural investment in Manchester as a city and a real desire to improve the sustainability of our operations. We believe this project will help us deliver on all three.”
