First Street is beginning to become something.
We don't want it to feel like a half-completed scheme, we want it to have immediate impact
Yes, we've been sceptical about part of the development, mainly the name Home, the title of the arts venue soon to fit out, that brings together the Cornerhouse and Library Theatre. After all, who goes out to go home?
But these visualisations are perking us up.
First Street, south of the railway line, north of the Mancunian Way, opens in April 2015 and it's going to come together in a flurry.
"It'll be opening all at the same time. Home, the Innside Hotel, the restaurants. We don't want it to feel like a half-completed scheme, we want it to have immediate impact," says John Hughes, the Managing Director of Ask Real Estate Limited.
Alongside the 60,000 sq ft Home, there'll be the 208 bed Innside Hotel and at least nine new restaurants plus upmarket student accommodation at Vita. These will join the hundreds of Autotrader staff already working on the First Street site.
From a food and drink point of view, it will be interesting to see who occupies the first floor restaurant with the huge balcony and outdoor area in the pointy Ian Simpson Architects building, that introduces First Street to people walking down from Lower Mosley Street.
"The restaurants will include some major national names - three or so -but also include independents. We know this is what many of the audience for Home will want and we agree. We want to ensure First Street attracts the same variety of people both the Cornerhouse and First Street attract," says Leon Guyett at Ask.
One piece of good news, which is sad in its own way too, is that First Street's public realm will be maintained privately, it will not be cleaned, planted and maintained by the council. This means there will be no replacement of lost cobbles with drab tarmac, lawns will be mown and flowers tended.
Anyway, here are the visualisations.
First Street as it might look in April 2015
First Street as it might look in April 2015
First Street as it might look in April 2015
First Street as it might look in April 2015
First Street as it is now
