New 17-storey office block to be built in Deansgate after plans finally approved

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Plans for a new 17-storey office block in Deansgate have been approved one year after a similar scheme for the site was rejected by Manchester council.

The new skyscraper will be located opposite the Ramada Renaissance hotel which is due to be refurbished with a new 26-storey tower built alongside it.

The proposal to demolish Speakers House at 39 Deansgate to make way for a new office building has been given the go ahead by the planning committee.

READ MORE: The big developments set to change the face of Manchester in 2022

The office would operate 24-hours-a-day, but the rooftop garden would close at 11pm during the week and 10pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

There would also be a 96-space cycle hub in the basement of the eco-friendly development which has been designed to cut day-to-day carbon emissions.

It comes one year after councillors sided with residents at No. 1 Deansgate who opposed the development which they said would invade their privacy.

Objectors also complained that the 17-storey structure would harm heritage sites such as the Grade-II listed Barton Arcade and the Royal Exchange.

Historic England raised concerns about the new tower affecting the view from St Ann's Square, but the body said the impact would be less than substantial.

Manchester council planning officer Dave Roscoe told the committee that the developer has considered alternative options for the site, including a hotel and apartments – but he said a scheme of this scale was the only viable option.

Representatives from Kames Property Income Fund, which bought the site in 2017, also met with residents at No. 1 Deansgate to discuss the development.

But speaking against the latest plans, Jaie Dlay said residents were 'shocked'