Trinity Islands: developer’s plans for four huge apartment blocks in Manchester city centre

A developer has submitted plans to build four huge new towers in Manchester city centre.

Proposals lodged by Reneker would see a high-rise quartet – including an enormous 60-storey skyscraper – spring up alongside the River Irwell.

Known as ‘Trinity Islands’, the four acre site is split in two by the Trinity Way ring road and currently used as a car park.

The scheme’s ‘elegant’ towers would be built in pairs on either side of the road and range from 39 to 60 storeys in height.

These would house 1,950 apartments in total, including a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments.

Plans also include a gym, a ‘drinking establishment’ and a residents’ lounge,  as well as ground floor ‘commercial space’.

What’s the history?

Back in 2017 planning permission was granted to Allied London to build five towers ranging up to 67 storeys in height.

But year later Renaker bought the site and decided to  ‘revisit’ the proposals  in  a bid  to create a ‘high quality’ residential scheme.

A design and access statement submitted with the application sets out the developer’s vision for the area.

It reads: “The four elegant towers proposed at Trinity Islands will provide a new landmark gateway to the city centre whilst also offering a high-quality place to live.

“At ground level, significant investment will integrate the scheme into this evolving part of the city. Renaker’s proposals seek to provide [1950] new, high-quality homes on the site, as well as a significant amount of public realm for the city to enjoy.”

The document goes on to describe how the towers would be ‘grounded within a verdant parkland’ and ‘form ‘green lungs’ at the entrance to the city’.

It adds that the proposals ‘seek to enhance the neighbourhood with green spaces’ as well as making the site more pedestrian friendly,  with improved links to the River Irwell.

“The sites are located at traffic dominated ‘Islands’ locations where there is the opportunity to change the character and nature of these spaces from concrete car park wastelands to green and open amenity landscapes,” it states.

The developer claims  this ‘soft landscaping’ will create an environment attractive to both people and wildlife, as well as reducing air and noise pollution.

Will there be parking?

Each building at Trinity Islands would have its own separate car and cycle parking facilities within a two-storey basement.

In total there would be 556 car parking spaces – 56 of which would be for disabled residents. And up to 20pc of these are proposed to be fitted with electric vehicle charging points.

There would also be 1950 cycle spaces – one for each apartment.

A decision on whether to grant the proposals full planning permission will be made by Manchester City Council.