All the key developments due to be decided by Manchester planners next week including 4,000 student homes

Thousands more student homes could be coming to Manchester as the planning committee prepares to debate a stacked agenda next week.

Three separate applications all include adding over 4,000 student homes in total – including redevelopment of Upper Brook Street in Manchester and a planned overhaul of the Fallowfield Campus at the University of Manchester.

Hundreds of millions are being spent on different areas of Manchester in bids to create more accommodation for students and revamp areas around the university campuses. 

All this depends on planning approval from the planning committee who are due to meet on Thursday, December 14 in Manchester Town Hall. Here is more detail of each application on the agenda.

The 23-storey student tower block and science building planned for the city centre

A £65m development consisting of a student block with 737 bedrooms plus a nine-storey science building has gathered hundreds of objections from locals.

The Upper Brook Street proposal put forward by McLaren Property Ltd and Kadans Science Partner 8 UK Ltd is thought to bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the area. The applicants estimate the development would create 826 temporary and full time equivalent jobs every year of construction and bring in more than £20m to the local economy each year. But for local residents this plan, which also includes 80sqm of commercial floorspace and room for a cafe/bar, would be overbearing in an area swamped by development. Residents have said this would tower over the tallest building in the area – which is three times smaller. 

Traffic jams in the area of people accessing the University of Manchester would be worsened, objectors add. They say the ‘ghastly architecture and out of touch with the landscape’. The new sci-tech floor space would be developed by Kadans’ in-house team while the student accommodation would be developed by McLaren Property. This application has been recommended for approval by the planning officers.

Three student tower blocks part of £371m development plan

Just under 1,000 new student homes could be created in the Ardwick area if plans for three new student tower blocks are approved.

Land Between Upper Brook Street, Kincardine Road and Grosvenor Street have been touted for a 12-storey, 14-storey and 29-storey building housing students. The joint application from Williams Motor Co (Holdings) and Alliance UBS Ltd worth £371.4m would also include three science buildings, space for shops, cafes and a medical facility as well as two new public squares and new parking and access.

This plan is being proposed in conjunction with the application for the sci-tech building also up for decision at planning committee as it involves the regeneration of the same area of Manchester. 

More than 100 objections have been received regarding this application relating its scale and appearance, the impact on traffic and car parking, construction impacts, impacts on local air quality, impacts on daylight and sunlight and impacts on local infrastructure. Concerns have also been received regarding the impact on heritage assets, particularly the grade II* listed chapel.  This application has been recommended for approval by the planning officers just like the application being run in conjunction with it. 

Huge student accommodation block could replace iconic Manchester building

The Fallowfield Campus at Manchester University could undergo a huge overall which would see buildings such as the Owens Park Tower demolished.

The older halls of residence dated back to the 1960’s could be flattened alongside Sheavyn House, Ashburne Hall, Richmond Park and Unsworth Park over a phased redevelopment. In their place, student 3,300 bedrooms will be built, along with facilities for a ‘drinking establishment and hot food takeaway’ and staff accommodation.

This is only an outline application, meaning the consideration is only being made of the general principles of the proposals. More detail would come as part of a full planning application further down the line. If things go to plan and all applications get approved, work could be complete by 2030. This application has been recommended for approval by the planning officers.

New hospital building planned for Withington

A new diagnostics centre could be coming to Withington if the planning committee gives its approval.  The new two-storey building at the Withington Community Hospital site would form a community diagnostics centre alongside a new patient delivery drop-off area. This application is designed to meet the demand from both patients and staff.

The new building off Nell Lane would comprise a range of internal space including: consultation and examination rooms; procedure rooms; changing rooms; recovery areas; administrative space; ECG and ECO rooms; and, lung function rooms. Community Diagnostic Centres were brought in to provide scans and tests closer to home, which ideally means shorter waiting times and a reduced risk of cancellation.

Huge solicitors office could be transformed into new apartment block and townhouses

A new apartment block could be coming to Northenden after plans for 34 new flats and five townhouses have been submitted.

The plans centre on a site that is currently the home of Express Solicitors, a legal practice specialising in personal injury claims. But the Palatine Road company has plans to relocate to a larger office at South Court in Sharston and, if the proposal is approved by Manchester Council, the company’s home of 20 years will be transformed into new living accommodation in the centre of the suburb.

The proposals would see the three townhouses, three storeys in height, fronting Allanson Road and two more off Brett Street. The five-storey apartment block with a mix of one and two bedrooms will have a 24-space car park mainly accessed via Allanson Road. Eight of the overall proposed homes will be affordable (up to 80 per cent off market value). Planning officers recommended the plan for approval.