Development plans submitted for iconic city centre industrial site

Proposals to re-energise the Hotspur Press as student accommodation and a new public square have been lodged with Manchester City Council.

The scheme, on Cambridge Street in the Oxford Road Corridor, will preserve much of the existing brick façade and celebrate the heritage of the building.

It includes 36-storeys of student accommodation, a new public square and connected public realm improvements for the wider community.

The Hotspur Press project will incorporate a range of low to zero carbon technologies, creating a modern building with sustainability at its heart. The car-free proposals will achieve an environment performance rating of excellent.

The site is more than just a building and delivers opportunities to:

• Create a new community-focused public square with a connection to First Street.
• Promote thriving independent businesses that will bring a special character and energy to the place within the ground floor of the building.
• Open up the public realm, planting new trees and with the ambition to enhance the adjacent River Medlock – enriching the wildlife and biodiversity of the area.

Spanning the publicly-focused ground floor spaces, the proposal includes 578 modern and high quality student study-bedrooms with a range of amenities, including shared study areas and communal spaces. It is situated close to The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The proposal has been brought forward by Manner, part of a development group which has more than 30 years’ experience delivering regenerative city centre residential and mixed-use schemes. The proposed building has been designed by Hodder + Partners with Macgregor Smith advising on landscape design and Turley acting as planning consultant.

Manner will be working with Fresh Student Living, a national student accommodation management company which is preparing a bespoke management plan for the proposed scheme.

Members of the public were invited to share their views on the proposal in October and November.

The project team hosted an online webinar where information about the scheme was available on a consultation website and people were invited to complete an online survey. There remains an ongoing dialogue with local resident groups to provide further feedback on additional matters including the management of the development and construction process.

Manner managing director, Richard James, said: “Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the community engagement and taken the time to provide feedback on our plans. The feedback gathered during the consultation has helped to shape the proposals further.

“We’re proud to be bringing forward this proposal for The Hotspur Press. The building is located in a prime, sustainable area of the city centre, within walking distance of Manchester’s universities, while also close to the social and cultural offer this part of the city has on its doorstep.”

He added: “Working with Hodder + Partners, we have been able to bring our shared experience to preserve much of the iconic façade, recognising that The Hotspur Press is an important part of Manchester’s industrial past.

“Its regeneration will provide an opportunity to deliver a new public space for the area and our aspiration is to create an attractive and accessible space for residents and neighbours to enjoy.”

Following submission of the planning application, Manner will continue discussion with the local community around the detail of the public realm as the scheme progresses through planning.