New Plans For Major Gay Village Site

Developer Urban & Civic will host a public exhibition next month to discuss major plans for the one-acre former Origin site at the corner of Princess Street and Whitworth Street on the edge of Manchester's Gay Village.

Urban & Civic are also working up plans for a £225m scheme on Deansgate

The site - which has lain vacant for over two decades after the demolition of warehouses in 1993 - was purchased by Urban & Civic in December 2014 with planning consent for apartments, a hotel and offices in three buildings arranged around a public square and a four-level basement car park.

However, due to changes in the 'economy and property market', as well as thinking on 'design and use', Urban & Civic have reworked the original 2007 Ian Simpson-designed scheme into a 'new and exciting' mixed-use development.

Urban & Civic's reworked proposals include:

- Two buildings with a mix of 240 high quality one, two and three bedroom apartments

- A 4 star + hotel

- Retail and restaurant units on the ground floor of each building

- A landscaped public square

- Retention of the four-level 300 space basement car park for use by new residents and parking opportunities for surrounding neighbours

Site of Urban & Civic's proposed scheme on the corner of Princess Street and Whitworth Street

Andrew Lavin, development manager for Urban&Civic, said:

“We have been working with our project team on plans for a vibrant new development that complements the area’s historic context and sensitively reconnects the site to its surrounding, including the Gay Village.

“To make the scheme commercially viable we need to work to the general massing and height of the existing planning consent and use the foundations and four-level basement car park that have already been constructed.

“We believe our revised plans for the uses at ground floor level will help reinvigorate this part of the city. A landscaped public square will provide an informal space for people to meet and relax while the new retail and restaurant units will provide an eclectic and high quality environment for new and existing residents to enjoy.”

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Village community campaigner Adam Prince welcomed Urban & Civic's new proposals and commended the developer's public engagement:

“Over 2000 people have completed our survey regarding the old Origin site so I am delighted at a receptivity from Urban and Civic, but more so, it is wonderful to see so much civic passion out there. It is something that needs to be harnessed to avoid the blandification of our city from planners and developers”.

Urban & Civic are also working up plans for a £225m scheme at the Marriott Rennaisance hotel site at the corner of Deansgate and Blackfriars Street. The scheme includes 600 apartments across four blocks, a 200-bed hotel, a 300-space basement car park alongside food, drink and retail units.

Work on the Princess Street/Whitworth Street site is expected to begin in 2016.