'Gold-cladded, horrendously ugly monstrosity' WILL soon appear in Manchester city centre

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A 15-storey 'gold-clad monstrosity' in Manchester has been given the green light at a planning meeting which saw another city centre tower knocked back. The M1 Piccadilly development in Store Street, featuring 54 flats - none of which would be affordable - was granted planning permission yesterday (June 30).

It comes after one local Labour councillor described it as a "horrendously ugly building" and criticised the lack of affordable homes within the £15m scheme. Piccadilly ward councillor Sam Wheeler objected to the application on several grounds – including loss of trees, 'paltry' affordable housing offer and design.

Speaking at the planning committee meeting on Thursday (June 30), he said: "I don't usually make design comments, but it is a horrendously ugly building. It is a gold-cladded monstrosity utterly out of keeping with the surrounding area."

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Developer LW Group, who have the backing of Liverpool footballer Naby Keita, have offered to pay £125,000 towards affordable housing elsewhere in the city. The planning committee also requested that all 30 trees which have been removed from the site are replaced and the building's design is reviewed.

LW Group director Faizal Atcha said the company will look at the design, but he defended the choice of colour saying that gold is 'very relevant' to Manchester. He said: "We want to put Manchester on the map.

"You go down to London and you find all different types of architecture – but in Manchester it's all brick. We just want to push through the boundaries of what can be achieved."

Earlier in the meeting, plans from developer SimpsonHaugh's for 485 flats off Great Ancoats