Curry Mile resi tipped for Manchester green light
Plans amended since a 2022 refusal for 42 flats off Wilmslow Road are recommended for approval, along with a Lidl store at Birchfields Road, Fallowfield.
Developer Views initially put forward its plans, designed by Ollier Smurthwaite, for the Rusholme site in 2022, only to see them rejected for a variety of reasons.
Revised plans were submitted in December last year, with the height scaled back and number of parking spots increased from 12 to 15 – an increase in street parking had been one issue raised with the initial proposal.
According to a viability assessment accompanying the application, the scheme has a GDV of £10.2m. AshtonHale is advising Views on planning matters.
The Wilmslow Road frontage would be four storeys, before dropping to three along the longer Grandale Street frontage. The MOT garage on site will be removed.
Consultation carried out on the amended plans garnered 13 responses, 11 of them objecting.
Statutory consultees raise no major concerns, with the highways officer satisfied with the parking element. Planning officers gave a minded to approve recommendation.
At Fallowfield Shopping Centre, the busy retail park at the junction of Birchfields Road, Kingsway and Moseley Road, Lidl secured consent in 2022 for a new foodstore, replacing six retail units.
The grocer wants to tweak those plans, making changes to the building’s footprint and Parking configuration, also bringing in two sub-let retail units and removing the medical centre on site.
The footprint of the new store would be 8,672 sq ft larger than the footprint of the existing buildings, and would have a sales area around 2,000 sq ft larger than that greenlit in the extant permission – the expansion coming in line with a subtle shift in Lidl’s operating model. Approval is recommended.
Planner Rapleys heads a professional team also featuring SMR Architects and FDA Landscape.
Manchester City Council’s planning committee meets on Thursday 25 July.
Views’ planning application can be viewed on the Manchester portal with the reference 138662/FO/2023, and Lidl’s at 139751/FO/2024.
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Love this scheme every time I see it
By Wigan Kebab
Lovely stuff.
By Anonymous
Shame they had to drop it a story to accommodate nimbys. Inner city areas should be 4 floors minimum to densify the city.
By Anonymous
Lidl’s proposal to replace the NHS GP surgery with 25 parking spaces, given their own application states there will always be at least 26 free parking spaces, is insanity.
By Anonymous
This is the absolute baseline standard of all new architecture in Manchester. Kudos to the developer, it looks fantastic.
By Heritage Action
Nice building that brings a bit of much needed class to the Curry Mile. The only downside is staring out your window at shabby restaurants.
By Anonymous
It looks like Poundbury.
By Anonymous
Design like this really isn’t rocket science! Good proportions and some detailing goes a long way
By Faraday
Lidl should keep the health centre there, if they care anything about the community they are coming into. It’s outrageous that shopping and finance will win, over health and people.
By Sheila
Would like to see a few multi-storey buildings in the same style introduced in or around the city centre.
By MrP