Plans for ‘overdominant’ apartment block near Manchester city centre get thrown out by council

Plans for a five-storey block of flats in Manchester have been rejected by council officers after the development was described as ‘overdominant’.

The proposal put forward was to build 136 apartments on an empty plot of land off Bury New Road, less than a mile away from Manchester city centre.

An application was submitted by clothing company The Boi Group which is headquartered on neighbouring land – but planning permission was refused.

It comes after plans for a six-storey building with 141 flats on this site were put forward by the same company in 2020, but withdrawn a few months later.

Town hall planners said that the latest scheme would be an ‘incongruous’ and ‘overdominant’ feature and would be ‘out of character’ with the area around it.

They also raised concerns about the lack of parking spaces provided on site and criticised the developer for failing to provide all the information required.

What did Manchester City Council say in the report and what was in the planning application?

In a report published last week, the council said: “Officers have worked with the applicant in a positive and proactive manner based on seeking solutions to problems arising in relation to dealing with the planning application.

“Officers have communicated their concerns about this proposal to the applicant during the course of the planning application, but these concerns have not been overcome.”

The planning application submitted to Manchester City Council last year proposed building a ‘mixed use development’, including 624 sqm of commercial space.

The developer said that a fifth of the 136 new apartments would be affordable.

The site, previously occupied by terraced houses, is now vacant ‘scrubland’ which has been ‘largely cleared of vegetation’ since the plans were submitted.

The area around it is mostly commercial, with the Halfords and Honda garages to the north, the Grosvenor Casino opposite and wholesale units to the south.

The proposed five-storey building would have featured an under-croft car park with 110 car parking bays, some fitted with electric vehicle charging points.

However, 47 of the parking spaces would be used by the commercial unit.

Manchester council’s planning department raised concerns about the scale of the the development and lack of parking, and decided to reject the application.

They said: “Having regard to the relationship of the proposed development with surrounding buildings in the immediate area, the scale and height of the proposed five storey building, would constitute an inappropriate form of development which result in an incongruous, over-dominant feature, out of scale and out of character with the surrounding context and streetscape.

“As a result, the proposed development would have a harmful impact upon the character and appearance of the area.”

BOI Trading Company was contacted for comment, but declined.