Next phase of Spinningfields set for green light

A NEW 160,000 sq ft office block in Spinningfields in Manchester is set for approval today.

Developer Allied London will pitch the nine-storey building at those working in the technology and creative sectors.

It first unveiled the idea at the international property convention MIPIM last year as i+, but it has since been renamed the Cotton Building.

The block, on Hardman Boulevard next to the Civil Justice Centre, will boast flexible space where tenants can customise space, essentially taking a shell and choosing the location of partition walls and the services they want.

It will have some communal workspace, co-location facilities, a gym, café, bar and restaurants, and a climbing wall. Allied London said it had already identified several potential occupiers but will also aim to lure start-ups and small businesses.

Although the plot has been earmarked for development for several years some tenants at the nearby Left Bank apartments have complained about the potential impact on light, while others do not want to see the loss of green space. Managers of the Civil Justic Centre are also concerned about tenants peering into court rooms.

Cartwright Pickard has been appointed as architect.