Manchester fires starting gun for rare Northern Quarter development opportunity
The chance to redevelop the Church Street multistorey car park into a residential scheme is up for grabs.
Branded as St Paul’s after the church that once stood on the site, the 1.5-acre Manchester plot presents a rare opportunity for a high-density development in the heart of the city centre.
CBRE has been appointed to find a development partner. The deadline for bids is 12 February.
Leader of the city council Bev Craig described the opportunity as “unique” and any proposals should reflect that.
“Our Northern Quarter is proudly and fiercely independent and we would expect proposals to understand intimately the context of the neighbourhood and present plans that pay homage to the history and heritage of the area to support the next generation of independent businesses to thrive,” she said.
The redevelopment of the Church Street car park is long overdue, according to Craig.
“The Church Street car park has for some time felt out of step with its surroundings, detracting from the wider area both in look and feel, and in the way the current building layout attracts anti-social behaviour.
“A multi storey car park is also inappropriate in the heart of our city, and we expect this development to support a people-first approach that actively promotes public transport and active travel over car use.”
There are few development sites in the city boasting such a central location so the race to secure the plot will likely be hotly contested.
While large scale development is rarer in the Northern Quarter than other parts of the city due to the listed status of many of the buildings and the presence of the Stevenson Square Conservation Area, several schemes close to the car park have secured planning approval in recent years.
Opposite the car park on the other side of Tib Street, Salboy’s 187-apartment Transmission House completed in 2020. Salboy has also delivered the 43,000 sq ft Glassworks facing Shudehill interchange, a development that was not universally popular.
Not all schemes approved in recent times have been delivered. The controversial Warp & Weft from Real Estate Investment Partnership has consent but no work has taken place, while a proposed 37-flat development off Red Lion Street next to the car park stalled shortly after groundwork began.
Piccadilly ward councillor Sam Wheeler said any proposals for the Church Street site should be developed for the benefit of Mancunians.
“Manchester has strong public finances and does not have to sell this land,” he said.
“Any bidder should be aware that the choice of whether the council sell or not is dependent on what they can deliver for Mancunians, particularly those currently living with deprivation.
“As a local member I will continue to be involved if and when a scheme is brought forward, and convey the strong feelings of the community I represent. If the proposals are not what the people of Manchester want then they will be resisted every step of the way.”
Wheeler also highlighted a potential obstacle to any development that might be proposed.
“I am also concerned that bidders from outside Manchester may not realise there is a war memorial at the site, recently restored after lobbying by myself and my colleagues, and that any design must understand the importance of continuing to honour those men who were killed in the struggle to keep Manchester free.”
Woohooo. It’ll be good to see that carpark go!
By Anonymous
I agree with Bev Craig that a multistory carpark is inappropriate in the city centre, so hopefully the Arndal carpark will be next on the demolishing list.
By Anonymous
Thing is though, some of the people who live in the Northern Quarter do have cars and need somewhere to keep them, even if they don’t use them most days. Some in the Smithfield Building will have bought or rented there because of the direct bridge access into this particular car park. Given the surface level parking towards Great Ancoats Street is now being built over, this sort of thing does just tend to push parking issues out into the next community over, currently Ancoats/New Islington.
What is really problematic is the ongoing elimination of parking in the city centre needed by people with a disability and/or accessibility needs, made worse by cutting off entirely routes in and through.
By Blue Badge Meanie
Awesome. Will be good to see another dirty, smelly car park consigned to hell
By Anonymous
@Anon 4:01 Hopefully they will agree that a huge insular mega mall that takes up the majority of the retail core, severs streets and creates a miserable and hostile environment is completely inappropriate in a city centre and they demolish the entire Arndale Centre shortly afterwards.
That said, good to see this LONG mooted scheme proceed. At least this blight will be removed from NQ even if the problematic Arndale Centre continues to fester.
By I deeply dislike the Arndale centre
It’s a cringe when Manchester always seems rank high in the ‘best cities to park’ surveys. The city council need to start releasing some of that other stock for development as the Bee Network gets stronger.
By Rich X
Probably room for something about 25 stories on Church Street but 8 stories on Tib Street. They should do a lower rise office on Tib Street with commercial i.e. bars/restaurants underneath and tower residential on Church Street.
By Dr B
That was in truth the worlds ugliest multi-storey..and that’s saying something when the Arndale multistory is so close.
By Anonymous
Maybe Bev can rebrand it as a mobility hub and they can keep it
By Anonymous
FINALLY!! Such good news 🙂
By Tom
This should include space for the displaced mccolls fruit and veg stall
By Anonymous
Great news. The sooner this eyesore is levelled the better! Excited to see the proposals that come forward. I wonder where the residents of Smithfields Buildings are going to park when it’s gone
By Steve
Just please not another boring glass skyscraper. Something with quirky markets, cafes & square at the ground level and a striking statement building for the city would be great here.
By Quail
This would make a terrific space for a permanent market, of course that won’t happen but we can dream that MCC make the NQ into even more of a community. Or a village green. I think we will get something along the lines of the dross at the bottom end of Great Ancoats Street, a chain hotel or another block of dreary flats with a supermarket underneath.
By Elephant
The old building that stood on that site (not a church) had an impressive façade. It would be good if Manchester could break the mould and start rebuilding what has been lost. Fine, have a big tower set back from it, but some nice street level beauty in the heart of city centre would make a nice change.
By Loganberry
Salboy over-development incoming
By Anonymous
Give it to big Darren at Renaker, let’s get this moving up.
By Big Dub
Hoping Renaker don’t buy this. The last thing we need is another stale skyscraper with no affordable housing.
By Anonymous
Ward Councillor Sam Wheeler said: “Manchester has strong public finances ….. ”
Really Sam? you may want to check those books and services again….
By Darren
I thought this was previously the site of Philips’ textile warehouse. The family that had MPs and a couple of parks named after them.
By Anonymous
I think the street pattern should be reintroduced and a new square created surrounded by homes and businesses which could spill out in to the space with trees and greenery.
By GetItBuilt!
Wouldn’t this have been good as a place for market stalls with the top floor assigned to green space which would be open during specific hours so it couldn’t get trashed as easily.
By Anonymous
In, for example, many German cities, if you build residential blocks you have to provide underground garage places for new residents cars. Otherwise you cause real problems for existing neighborhood residents; through no fault of their own. Do not solve one problem by making new problems for others.
By James Yates
I agree with the comments about a market. Most large European cities have great markets, however I suspect that selling the land to the highest bidder will be the councils priority.
By Anonymous