Council eyes St John’s plans

Manchester city council’s executive will consider plans on 29 October for the 13-acre St John’s Quarter on the former ITV Granada Studios site in the city centre. If approved, a formal consultation will be launched on the circa 4m sq ft plan, which would be phased in between 2015 and 2022. The proposals include between 500,000 sq ft and 600,000 sq ft of offices, 3,000 homes, 400,000 sq ft of leisure space, two hotels and two cultural buildings. The scheme has been brought forward after the company said it would not pursue development until 2019. Allied plans a five- to seven-storey “village” with TMT workspace, studios, shops, leisure space and homes, and a series of towers towards the River Irwell. It bought the site in partnership with Manchester city council in September for £26.5m. Ian Simpson Architects drew up the plans for Manchester Quays Limited, a joint venture between Allied London and the city of Manchester. Allied purchased the site in 2013 for £26.5m after a deal with Inter Ikea’s Landprop was pulled earlier in the year. chris.berkin@estatesgazette.com