Renaker’s £741m Manchester skyscrapers set for green light

7/3/22

Planning officers at Manchester City Council have recommended that a £741m development plan – which also includes 361 square metres of commercial space – should be given the green light. The towers will range from 39 to 60 storeys in height and will be built on a brownfield site by the River Irwell.

Renaker submitted plans for the development, known as Trinity Islands, to the council in December. The 1.78-hectare development is divided into two plots, which would be separated by Trinity Way, but accessible by an underpass. The site is currently occupied by a car-parking space.

The first of the sites, known as Site C, would include two buildings of 39 storeys and 48 storeys with 935 homes in total. Site D would house 1,015 homes, in buildings of 55 and 60 storeys.

Renaker hailed the sustainable aspects of the development, such as 20 per cent of car spaces having charging points for electric vehicles.

The council's planning committee is set to discuss the plans on 17 February. If the development goes ahead, it is set to support 4,180 jobs over the course of the nine-year construction programme, while 9,400 more jobs would be supported through the supply chain.

Manchester residents will also be prioritised for construction jobs at the site, as per a local labour agreement signed by Renaker and Manchester City Council.

Renaker said work will start on site in March if the development gets the green light, with full completion expected for early 2031.

Plans for a series of towers on the site have been in the works for years. A similar scheme by developer Allied London with five towers of between 26 and 67 storeys in height was granted approval in 2017. Allied London planned to deliver the project through a joint venture, but instead sold the development to Renaker in late 2018. The current owner subsequently revised the plans and reduced the number of towers from five to four, as well as enabling access to the river.

Source: Construction News