Castlefield conservation campaigners call on planners to ‘show courage’

The people behind a campaign to prevent a multi-million pound apartment development in the Manchester’s historic Castlefield conservation area have called on planning councillors visiting the site today (Thursday, February 9) to make the “brave” decision to turn it down.

Castlefield Estates, which has developed many landmark projects in the area, and Castlefield Forum, a non-profit voluntary organisation for Castlefield residents, in January appealed to Manchester City Council’s planning committee members to see the site for themselves, after the authority’s planning officers recommended approval of the scheme.
 
Following a visit to the site this morning, the committee will make its final decision in the afternoon.

Renaker Build is applying for permission to build a 21-storey tower next to the distinctive Grade II-listed Congregational Chapel (Artingstalls Auctioneers) building and viaduct, with a separate 12-storey block filling the rest of the site.

And in an 11th hour development yesterday, the campaign group said Renaker had added affordable housing into the scheme under consideration, making it more difficult for the city council to turn it down.

Castlefield Estates, run by managing director Sarah Ramsbottom, and Castlefield Forum say the plan will dwarf the historic canal basin.

The area is the site of the first Roman settlement in Manchester and the starting point of the industrial revolution.

It has one of the oldest and most significant warehousing in the city and the first cut canal in the world.

Meanwhile, with the help of at least two quantity surveyors, who the campaigners claim have independently done a back of an envelope calculation, the group reckon that Renaker is set to make £30m on the scheme.

Ramsbottom told TheBusinessDesk this is based on them buying the land for £700,000 plus build costs of  about £200 per square foot.

“On 175,000sq ft this would be £35m,” she said. “On sale values, a conservative city centre value for a prime site with canal views is £375/psf which would be £65m – a £30m profit.”

Ramsbottom also claimed the planning application as it stood breached planning law.

She said: “There is a statutory obligation to consider whether it preserves or enhances is the appearance of a conservation area, and it clearly won’t.”

Ramsbottom said the campaigners had tried to engage with both councillors on the planning committee and Renaker to discuss their concerns to no avail.

“They won’t speak to us,” she said. “We’ve tried to engage with them throughout the whole process. We’ve had a meeting with a representative at Renaker to explain our concerns, and he never came back to us.

“We just have to hope the planning committee has the courage to refuse it, because that would be a brave decision.

“Because with the amount of money Renaker stand to make they are bound to appeal.”

TheBusinessDesk has asked Renaker to comment.