Realty Estates’ proposed redevelopment of its 150,000 sq ft Gateway House office building in Manchester is likely to be approved by the city council next week.
The £35m scheme, which would see Max Apartments operate 182 serviced flats in the 1970s building attached to Piccadilly Station, is recommended for approval by the council’s planning committee.
The plans, drawn up by Hodder and Partners, also include the construction of a new three-storey gym and a new eight-storey office building attached to Gateway House.
The proposals have drawn one objection, however, from an unnamed adjacent landowner, understood to be Irish developer Ballymore, which owns a site on Ducie Street and Store Street.
That site was earmarked for the 187m Piccadilly Tower, but the scheme has been on hold since 2008.
At 58 storeys, the Woods Bagot-designed tower would have been the tallest building in Manchester and when plans were first unveiled, it was said to have a development value of £220m.
The planning report says the objector believes “an application which involves both sites would make a significant contribution to this major gateway to Manchester and that a joined up masterplanned approach to the two sites would provide more beneficial outcome to the city”.
The objector also argues that “to approve this application in isolation would potentially result in a lost strategic opportunity which would create the opportunity to plan Grade A Manchester City office accommodation”.
Realty and Ballymore failed to respond to call for comment.
Simon.Binns@estatesgazette.com
