The demand for residential property in Manchester as been on a continuous rise with more people than ever before flocking to the city to live, work, and invest. Therefore, to accommodate for this ever-increasing interest, there have been an exciting array of ambitious projects, with the latest approval on track to set a new record for the tallest building outside of London in the UK.
Manchester City Council have given their approval for the 76-storey skyscraper in the heart of the city centre, known as the Whitworth Street West scheme. The enormous building is set to be paired with a 23-storey block, and together they will provide up to 585 homes, with 133 of these being designated to affordable housing, alongside plans for a new green public realm and improved pedestrian links.
This project will also provide a 160-bedroom, 5-star hotel for the iconic Nobu brand, presenting both residential and commercial use cases. It is estimated that the project will cost around £360 million.
CEO of Nobu Hospitality, Trevor Horwell, has stated that ‘Manchester is a vibrant, world-class city, and we’re proud to be part of a project that will bring the Nobu experience to this destination through a truly exceptional mixed-use project.’
The structure will be designed by architects SimpsonHaugh, and when completed it will be the third tallest building in the country, with over 12-storeys more than the current highest building in Manchester. Such an ambitious projects means exciting things for architecture jobs in Manchester and eventually property jobs in Manchester too.
The site has a desirable city-centre location with strong transport links, alongside interesting design features, with SimpsonHaugh highlighting how the tower is designed to ‘catch light differently, creating a dynamic response to changes in light conditions.’
The planning report for the structure states that ‘building more modern, tall buildings will showcase Manchester as a dynamic and growing city, that wants to attract people’ through a ‘world-class building’ that will assist with the local housing demand.
Salboy Group, a nationwide property development and funding company, will have an active role in the initiative, with Managing Director, Simon Ismail, stating that the project ‘promises to deliver a neighbourhood of high-quality design-led homes that meet Manchester’s substantial need for accommodation at a range of price points and tenure types while bringing to the Manchester cityscape a truly crowning feature.’ Ismail also went on to state ‘we are delighted with the council’s decision to approve our plans.’
Such an ambitious project will be an interesting addition to Manchester’s skyline and put it firmly on the map as an architectural hotspot in the UK. The multi-usage of the building from affordable housing to high-end, luxury hotel space demonstrates the variety of functions this interesting structure will facilitate, and it will be exciting to see how this project will come to fruition and the impact it will have on the city’s local economy.