Reworked Mayfield offices, car park approved
Three years after the original plans were approved, the amended vision for The Republic and Poulton buildings reflect soaring expectations around sustainability credentials.
Mayfield Partnership, a joint venture between LCR, Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, and LandsecU+I, has been given the green light for the reworked Manchester project. The city council approved the plans under delegated powers.
The newly-approved plans include 320,000 sq ft of office space across two new buildings, The Poulton, designed by Bennetts Associates and The Republic, designed by Morris+Company.
Submitted in June to reflect changing market demands, designs have been tweaked with a target of 600kg of CO 2/ sq m, as well as a 5.5-star NABERS rating and a BREEAM Excellent rating.
Proposals intend to improve the proposals in terms of commercial appeal while responding to regulatory and policy changes.
The approved plans also include the creation of a Studio Egret West-designed transport hub, featuring space for 400 bikes and ground-floor food, drink, and entertainment offerings curated by Broadwick Live, operator of the Depot.
There will also be an additional three acres of public space to extend Mayfield Park to the surrounding buildings, contributing new landscaped areas, additional tree-planting, ecology, and rain gardens to the area.
Plans form part of the £400m first phase of Mayfield Partnership’s wider £1.5bn mixed-use Mayfield scheme. The wider masterplan will cover 24 acres to deliver 1,500 homes, 1.6m sq ft of
office space, a 650-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities, and a new city park
Mayfield Partnership was granted planning permission in 2020 for the first phase, which consists of 320,000 sq ft of offices, a multi-storey car park, and Mayfield Park.
Laura Percy, development director at LandsecU+I, said: “Since opening just a year ago Mayfield Park has set a very high standard, so it was sensible for us to ensure the original plans, which were brought forward before the pandemic, are right for the world today and will meet the highest standards.
“Manchester is an evolving, ambitious and progressive city and we are determined that Mayfield should be the ‘go-to’ location for businesses looking for brilliant connectivity and access to nature with stunning views across the park, ecology, biodiversity, and peaceful green space on their doorsteps.”
In May, LandsecU+I announced that the JV intends to start work on the offices later this year during a briefing on its financial results.
Deloitte is the planning consultant for the scheme. Also on the project team are Gardiner & Theobald, Studio Egret West, Civic Engineers, Hoare Lee, FMDC, D2E, and IM2.
To find out more about the amended plans, search for application number 137263/FO/2023 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
Manchester might want to fill the empty offices first like the Lincoln
By Phi
Ah Mayfield , an enchanted but so far almost mythic place where previously sweet nymphs would ply their trade to fair knights in days of yore. Other than the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Tale of Piccadilly Gardens, Mayfield offices remain the longest running saga in the history of mankind . For the love of god stop drawing stuff and just throw a spade in the ground Somebody.
By Nimrod
Manchester has so many business districts phi, but so many businesses to fill them. Read more write less, there are lots of reports out there that will inform you better than looking in through an office window.
By Anonymous
From what I’m hearing, more and more businesses are looking to relocate from London to Manchester, with top end space in high demand. Even The Lincoln, with all of its many challenges on Lincoln Square, is now starting to fill up!
By T Jones
Surely there is a better architectural design than that??
By Jane Jenkinson
Bore off with the empty offices and apartments, it’s booming and we all know it
By Get a life
Phi, the Lincoln is all let or under offer. Don’t understand what your point is?
By Shuff
Agree with Nimrod. Relentless issuing of PR statements and CGis might make everyone feel happy and busy but in the end someone needs to take a deep breath and just start building. The Park was publicly funded. Those titans of real estate who have bought this opportunity need to show sone regional metal – otherwise we might have to conclude they are not quite cut out for the tough realities of developing outside of London
By Mancunian
The Fire Station is still a shell. This was presumably going to be a place for HS2 access? This whole area and adjoining Ardwick is a mess. Mayfield Park is hardly Central Park.
By Elephant
Shuff, that’s not true, it’s one of many mostly empty office buildings in town
By Phi
Phi, it’s funny , Cal made exactly the same comment last year , too many offices, no infrastructure…blah blah blah. Sorry but it was wrong then and you are wrong now. Obviously there are going to be empty buildings sometimes in a busy office market, as common sense dictates , but that doesn’t mean you don’t build more to meet future demand. That’s how Manchester has grown. Hanging around like sleeping beauty hoping for your Prince to come doesn’t work. Make it happen or stay sleeping. Hope that helps.
By Cal smate
Mcr might attract more office occupiers if it sorted out its diabolical public realm and tackled the horror that is the Arndale Centre which blights half a square mile of the city centre and all surrounding streets. Just a thought.
By Anonymous
Ah, Anonymous 8 .22pm, Just a thought? Yes it is, though a completely irrelevant one as a) if you had any idea at all you’d know Manchester attracts more businesses than any city outside London and b) while a nice thing to do, removing the Arndale is hardly practical and would make no meaningful difference to a) now would it? Try harder. Just a thought.
By Thoughtless
Wasn’t Mayfield once going to be the office development for all of those civil servants moving north? Right next to Piccadilly station and with a park it would have been ideal. Think some of them are going to First St instead . Other districts like Circle Square, New Bailey, Spinningfields and Noma seem rather quicker off the mark when it came to completing development and getting tenants in.
By Charles
Phi/Cal – so full of opinions but always lacking in evidence! What is PNW’s policy on trolling commenters?
Agree with anonymous 8.22pm – Manchester City Council need to pull their finger out when it comes to public realm. Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield all do it better – and Piccadilly Labour ought to be ashamed with the state of Piccadilly Gardens and the Northern Quarter.
By Anonymous
A lot of people always point to the empty office buildings in Manchester and wonder what purpose more will serve
By DH
The plans for Mayfield did look nice when shown a while back. Agree with the sentiment here, they need to get on with it now before the UK runs out of concrete.
By PT Barnum