PLANNING has been approved for a major multi-million pound revamp of the Royal Exchange building on St Ann's Square.
the first of which even hosted the severed heads of the 1745 Mancunian traitors
Trinistar Manchester - a joint venture between Trinity Investment Management and Starwood Capital - will redevelop 120,000 sq ft of office space in the building and create a new roof garden.
Trinistar will later work on 100,000 sq ft of retail accommodation around the building including a redevelopment of the arcade linking Cross Street and St Ann's Square.
Plans also include new look entrances for the Royal Exchange Theatre - which was opened in 1976 by Sir Laurence Olivier.
READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CORN EXCHANGE HERE.
The latest Exchange structure, although not the 1970s theatre, was designed by Bradshaw, Gass and Hope. It was finished in the 1920s, however, several smaller structures have stood on the site since 1729 (the first of which even hosted the severed heads of the 1745 Mancunian traitors in the Bonnie Prince Charlie rebellion).
The Royal ExchangeRichard Boyle, Executive director of Trinistar, said: “This is the first in a series of planning applications we will be submitting, in our bid to bring The Royal Exchange, a stunning Grade II listed building in the heart of the city, back to its former glory.
“With planning now approved and the project team already appointed, we will commence work on the offices in June, with completion scheduled in the first quarter of 2016.”
James Dickinson, Director at Canning O’Neill, the office agents for the scheme, said: “This is a landmark building and has already had a high level of interest in the office space, thanks to the location, large floor plates and quality of the proposed offer.
"We are proud to have been retained as agents on the scheme and will be making announcements about new occupiers in the coming weeks.”
