Urban&Civic has submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for the reworked scheme to regenerate a key site on the corner of Princess Street and Whitworth Street.
The proposal includes plans for a 148-room 4 star hotel, 238 apartments, ground floor commercial units and a new landscaped public square over the existing four-level basement car park.
Urban&Civic acquired the one-acre site, which was granted planning consent in 2007, late last year. Subsequently the company has worked on a revised scheme that better reflects current economic and market conditions and changes in thinking about design and uses.
The new plans were revealed at a public exhibition last month, and the majority of people commenting on the scheme indicated that they preferred it to its predecessor.
Commenting on the reworked scheme Andrew Lavin, Development Manager for Urban&Civic said: “This is an exciting new mixed-used development that will transform a key city centre site that has stood derelict for over a decade.
“Our vision is to create a vibrant development that sensitively reconnects the site to the surrounding area. We believe the introduction of local independent traders in the ground floor units will help integrate the scheme into the neighbourhood.
“We plan to retain ownership and long-term stewardship as we believe in the site’s potential and long-term investment value.”
The revised design connects the site to its surroundings through a contemporary reinterpretation of the key architectural characteristics of the surrounding historic buildings within the Conservation Area.
If the scheme is given the go-ahead, work on the initial residential phase is expected to begin next summer and will take 20 months to complete.
