London Road Fire Station CPO rejected

MANCHESTER City Council has lost its long-running battle to compulsorily purchase the London Road Fire Station site from Britannia Hotels Group.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government rejected the council’s bid to acquire the site via a compulsory purchase order (CPO), stating that it had failed to make a compelling case that it was in the public interest.

In his decision letter, Eric Pickles also described the financial viability of an alternative scheme for which Argent had been chosen as developer partner as “questionable, at best”.

The council issued its CPO in August last year, arguing that Britannia Hotels Group had done nothing to redevelop the building in over 20 years worth of ownership.

Although it approved an application by Britannia to build a 227-bed, four-star hotel on the site a month later, it persisted with the CPO, arguing that the group had submitted applications to redevelop the site as far back as 1986 but had failed to bring a suitable scheme forwards.

The city council has racked up more than £700,000 in legal bills pursuing the CPO, but a spokesman today said the action had been taken “with the support of English Heritage and many Manchester businesses”.

“We are disappointed and surprised at this judgement,” he said. “This landmark building has been lying largely empty and disused for a quarter of a century while under Britannia’s ownership. What should be an asset for Manchester has become an eyesore and its condition has become such that it has been listed on English Heritage’s Buildings At Risk register.

“Our clear and consistent goal throughout this process has been to bring this Grade II*-listed building back into use so that it makes a positive contribution to the regeneration of Piccadilly rather than blighting it.

“We note that, as a result of the public enquiry, Britannia have made a public pledge to return London Road Fire Station to use as a high quality hotel as soon as possible. The people of Manchester will hold them to that promise and no one will be more pleased than us if they honour their words.”

Richard Serra of Savills acted for Britannia Hotels Group.