Renaker dusts off West plans for Owen Street
CQ Investments, a subsidiary of Renaker, is putting together plans to build 1,400 apartments across four “landmark buildings” designed by SimpsonHaugh & Partners, on a car park site to the South of Manchester city centre.
According to a leaflet promoting a consultation event taking place next week, the plans echo those previously proposed for Owen Street by Donal Mulryan’s West Properties, approved in 2008.
Also designed by SimpsonHaugh & Partners, then Ian Simpson Architects, the project featured five towers of between 14 and 49 storeys, made up of 1,200 apartments, a hotel and offices.
Renaker bought the site from Morgan Stanley last year, after it was put on the market in a sell-off of former West assets in Manchester city centre. Two other sites, Origin in Princess Street and Renaissance Hotel in Deansgate, were bought by Urban & Civic.
Morgan Stanley acquired a £216m portfolio of loans against West assets in 2011 from the National Asset Management Agency. NAMA took over the debt during the Irish banking crisis.
Under Renaker’s plans, which are to be put on display next week as part of a pre-planning application consultation, Owen Street will feature four residential buildings made up of 1,400 flats, supported by an amenity building which will include a tennis court, swimming pool, cinema, gym, basement parking, cafes and restaurants. The properties will be surrounded by 95,000 sq ft of public realm.
According to the consultation invitation, the development aims to be “of the highest architectural quality”.
The consultation will take place on 13 January at the GIA office, 2 Commercial Street, M15 4RQ, between 3pm and 7pm.
Deloitte is advising on the planning application.
Renaker was unavailable for comment when contacted by Place North West.
Will look like Xaunagho Province in a few years…
By Lilt
Lilt is so right.
By Elephant
Some of those buildings look too close together, residents will have a nice view of each others living habits, very intrusive.
By Man on bicycle
Here’s hoping.
By Lucas
“Aims to be of the highest architectural quality” Presumably if you think Beetham Tower is a masterpiece.
By Gene Walker
Reminds me of that old joke.What is the best view of London? From the South Bank centre.Why? Because you don’t have to look at the South Bank centre.The best view of Manchester will certainly be from this.It looks like a model village structure of Downtown Los Angeles.Can we please have something in Manchester not designed by ‘the Simpsons’ and therefore aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
By Elephant
Beetham is gorgeous., the best building outside of London.
By Yarrr
Since when has architectural quality mattered in Manchester..?
By Uni
I like the positioning: it’s a great opportunity to open up the canal to the public and create new public realm. But the architecture in these is typical Simpson bland. If they are increasing the number of units there is a probably a significant redesign however. Will they go taller than the Beetham?
By Lin
Since when has Manchester mattered!!
Good architecture around here would be like putting a dress on a donkey, it’s still an ol’ donkey.
It’s what’s know as a Yard City by certain people.
By Colt 45
Whats a Yard City?
Manchester has a lot going for it. It doesn’t need to be an unattractive/unwelcoming place, and that comes down to design.
By Uni
Hi Uni, go up any tower in Manchester over 15 storeys and have a look out across the cityscape. It looks like you’re looking out across an old back yard. Admittedly, street level is quite good. Lots of young tail around and a nice vibe going on. The odd bullet flying about here and there but GMP are quite good at dealing with that.
By Colt 45
Manchester has the best modern architecture in the North, Beetham, Urbis, CJC, Co-op building, Chetham’s, No 1 Deansgate, 1 St Peter’s Square. The Cityscape is excellent especially from a height.
By Yarrum
Yarrum, Manchester has a good vibe at the moment, but you can’t seriously say the cityscape is good. Most of the buildings you list are examples of Duplo block architecture. Chetham’s is good and the new wing is a great example of quality recent work, but these are really few and far between.
Back yard indeed.
By Uni
Manchester buildings are designed to be cost efficient. The beetham tower is a prime example. The architecture is all about making a box look good.
The likes if a gerkin, a cheese grater, a walkie talkie, a shard wouldn’t stack up on paper in manchester. The rents are not high enough to justify that kind of extravagance. I like manchester, I work right in the heart of it, it has nice period buildings, but let’s be honest the new stuff is no where near avant guard. Peter’s sq, Piccadilly gardens, spinning fields, all space space (and hence cost) efficient designs tarted up.
There are also still large areas of old buildings in need of demolition.
A view from high up certainly does not have a wow factor.
By N-gin-eer
Stop comparing Manchester with London, it’s pointless.
By Clarks
Why can a regional Big British city,not be beautiful? It is almost like we are all conditioned to having rubbish buildings and hideous design.Look at Piccadilly Gardens.What an absolute disgrace that is,surrounded by ugly office blocks and dirty Victorian architecture.We have to endure that Midden which they call a park,with a public toilet(Sorry fountain).Why can’t we have a Shard or a Gherkin? I am so fed up of every time a new building of any real beauty is mentioned,it finishes up getting watered down to another 19 storey box.What happened to the amazing wedged building by Foster planned for Spinningfields? What about the amazing skyscraper planned for Piccadilly station? and the Crown skyscraper planned for Aytoun street? On the Aytoun street site they are building another dreary hotel.St Johns and the Factory are exciting,but will probably again be watered down.Devolution should allow our City to make decisions which don’t need Westminster’s approval.If the current disappointments being built are anything to go by,I won’t be holding my breath.
By Elephant
Money, Elephant, money.Nobody will build a shard or a Gherkin because there’s no chance whatsoever of making the money back.
By York Street
York street.I know what you are saying is true,but I just despair at announcement after announcement on the front page of the MEN,regarding these amazing structures,which never happen.Scuff attracts scruff,my Mother used to say
Piccadilly gardens is testament to that.
By Elephant
Great! Renaker has had such an impact in Manchester more than any other constuction companies and is excelling still…. this will make new homes for people aswell as opportunities
By Jorge F