£13m housing project given the greenlight in Manchester

Plans to transform a historic Manchester canal-side office into an apartment block have been approved by the local authority.

An abandoned city centre canal office, which has been left derelict for decades, located near Deansgate Square in Great Jackson Street, will be converted into 53 apartments as part of a £13m project.

The red-brick Georgian style office, which was built three centuries ago, consists of two townhouses on Chester Road built before 1787 with an extension on Crown Street dating back to 1842.

Property firm Watch This Space, which has bought the site from Deansgate Square developer Renaker, is now planning to restore the two-storey grade II building.

A Manchester Council report on the new development, said: ‘The delivery of new homes is a priority for the council. The proposal would provide 53 homes, develop a brownfield site and would bring a building at risk back into use.

‘It would be a high quality scheme in terms of its appearance, it would comply with the Residential Quality Guidance and would involve significant works to bring the buildings back into use and to enhance the listed building.’

Plans involve partially demolishing boundary walls to make way for the 33 new build apartments to be constructed where the car park currently stands. According to Watch This Space, these new flats will fund the restoration of the empty listed building and its conversion into 20 one and two bed-room apartments.

However, due to the increased costs involved in converting a derelict and listed building, the developer says they cannot offer any affordable housing on the site. According to planning documents, the developer is due to make a 13% profit.

Although, the report from the local authority confirms the developer would not contribute to affordable housing elsewhere in the city as part of the plans. But the document also recommends entering a legal agreement which would require the developer to contribute to affordable housing if market conditions improve.

Photo by Matthew Waring