Manchester: 'Too tall' flats plan backed after one storey cut

Plans for the development were rejected twice

Plans for a 33-storey apartment block have been approved after developers removed one storey from applications twice rejected for being "too tall".

Manchester Planning Committee backed plans for 481 flats off Great Ancoats Street despite hundreds of objections.

The committee felt reducing the height of the Port Street tower would bring it into line with the area's masterplan.

The £154m scheme was approved despite criticism from some councillors that it did not feature "affordable" flats.

They said the developers' proposed £1m contribution towards affordable housing elsewhere was insufficient.

Some neighbouring resident expressed their disappointment.

Zoe Salisbury told The Local Democracy Reporting Service the Royal Mills Residents' Association was exploring how it might still block the development.

She said removing one floor was not enough to address objectors' concerns about the impact it would have on sunlight in the area.

The chartered surveyor also claimed that the scheme contradicts Manchester City Council's vision for the area, which proposes a shorter building in Port Street.

'Lucrative

Ms Salisbury told the committee: "Once this is built, the impact on our city, residents and the historic area will be blighted forever more."

The build-to-rent scheme, featuring co-working space and a residents' gym, would be managed by Affinity Living, a subsidiary brand of Select Property.

The plans include 47 basement car parking spaces, all of which could be fitted with electric vehicle chargers in the future, as well as 481 spaces for bikes.

Labour councillor Jon-Connor Lyons, who represents the Piccadilly ward in which the site is located, described the developer's 14% profit as "lucrative".

And he said the planned new building would compromise the identity of the Northern Quarter.

Lib Dem councillor Jon Leech said he believed there was a general consensus within the committee that the affordable housing contribution was too small.

But Labour councillor Paul Andrews said it was very difficult to think of reasons to refuse the application based on planning rules and local policy.

Welcoming the decision, Select Property's chief executive Adam Price said: "Now, works can begin on Port Street, a site which was long overdue for significant investment and promises to deliver the very best apartments the city has to offer, creating a vibrant community."

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