Planners back Fred Done’s St Peter’s Square block

MANCHESTER City Council is set to approve the demolition of Century House in St Peter’s Square to make way for a 12-storey office block proposed by betting chain owners Fred and Peter Done.

The brothers have hired Ian Simpson to design the 230,000 sq ft, £80m building which will have 194,000 sq ft of office space, 5,500 sq ft of shops on the ground floor and basement parking for 43 cars. An impression of the building is pictured below.

It will sit next to No 1 St Peter’s Square, which is currently being built, on the site of Century House, Sussex House, Bennett House and Clarendon House.

The Dones say it will compliment wider changes to the square that are being made to make way for a new tram line, but conservationists want to preserve Century House, arguing that it makes an important contribution to the George Street conservation area.

They add that the government’s National Planning Policy Framework puts the onus on the preservation of heritage assets, rather than their destruction. Century House, designed by A W Roques in 1934, was the 1930s home of the Friends’ Provident & Century Insurance Company. The plan to knock down the building has the backing of English Heritage which argues Century House is losing “much of its significance” due to other changes in the square.

A campaign has been led by the Twentieth Century Society. In a statement issued two weeks ago it said: “The society considers Century House to be of significance for its architectural solidity and styling, its group value with the contemporaneous listed buildings of St Peter’s Square and its contribution to the streetscape in this high profile Manchester location.

“The loss of this building to be replaced by an overbearing and architecturally undistinguished replacement will cause irreversible damage to the conservation area. This application is another in a series affecting St Peter’s Square, including the Library Walk link, which the Society believes will ultimately devalue the conservation area status of St Peter’s Square.”

The council said the Dones’ building, to be called No 2 St Peter’s Square, would support further economic growth in the city and “aid in the creation of a sense of place in St Peter’s Square”.

A document prepared ahead of a planning committee meeting on Thursday, which recommends approval, said: “Of the four buildings which are proposed to be demolished, it is clearly the potential loss of Century House which has raised the most concerns. Objections have been received which strongly support the view that the building should be retained.

“This is on the basis of the design and architecture of Century House, its role as a local landmark, the contribution it makes to St Peters Square, and the materials which relate to other nearby listed buildings, and, its history, in particular its association with the Quaker Movement.

“However, the harm that this loss would cause has been identified as being less than substantial and this is a position that is shared by English Heritage. On this basis, it is necessary to demonstrate that the public benefits that the scheme would deliver would outweigh this less than substantial harm. As has been set out extensively in the report, the scheme, together with those being promoted in the area, many of which are committed and underway, would transform the area and create a major new business destination at the very heart of the region. On this basis, the scheme has been fully justified.”