MANCHESTER is in the grip of a property boom with almost 7,000
flats being built in the city centre and thousands more in the
surrounding suburbs.
There were 3,374 flats actually under construction in the centre
and a further 3,306 with planning permission when the latest
figures were complied in December. Across Manchester's suburbs some
3,000 more are being built.
Statistics to be published later this year are expected to show
further rises.
Property developers are flocking to the former industrial cities of
the north with Liverpool enjoying a similar renaissance as it
prepares to become the European Capital of Culture 2008.
But Manchester is leading the way in urban regeneration with scores
of cranes dotting the city's skyline and several major developments
under construction - including the 561ft (171m) Beetham Tower,
which will be the tallest residential skyscraper in the UK when
completed next year.
Cllr Richard Leese, leader of Manchester Council, believes the city
is managing to maintain its individual charm and character amidst
the building blitz but says more needs to be done to attract
families back to the city centre.
Mr Leese said: "The amount of development is very good news for
Manchester, especially as it is very balanced.
"Lots of flats are going up but not all the cranes are working on
residential developments; there is also large amount of commercial
development.
"There are many reasons why Manchester is so attractive to
developers at the moment but mainly because lots of people have
worked very hard over a long period of time to make it a live/work
city.
"Clearly it is vital to the economic health of Manchester and
Mancunians and with areas like the Northern Quarter, Castlefields
and the Gay Village we're also managing to maintain our
distinctiveness and character.
"I suppose it will eventually slow down - at some point we'll run
out of space, but I think urban living is back and here to stay. It
offers a quality of life you can't get elsewhere and everyone now
wants to live closer to where they work rather than
commuting.
"There's also an affordable element. Some people have the
misconception that city living is just for the high earners but
that's not the case anymore.
"But one thing we do need to look at is attracting more families
back into the city centre and that means we must provide more
facilities for kids, like schools and playgrounds."
Beetham's towering ambition
BEETHAM Tower, still only half-built, is already scraping the
sky above Manchester's Deansgate.
The 47-storey glass giant will be the second tallest building in
the UK, and the tallest residential building, when it is finished
in the autumn of next year.
But constructing the 561ft (171m) tower is a massive project. It
will be covered with 4,800 panes of glass, and 2,000 cubic metres
of concrete went into the foundations alone.
Developer Beetham has commissioned construction firm Carillion to
build the tower, which was designed by Ian Simpsons
Architects.
Stuart Loftus, Carillion design manager, said: "We're a little
behind schedule because of the weather, but the project is going
well.
"The first 23 floors are now built and we're expecting to complete
by about the autumn next year.
"We began by knocking down the original railway arches on the site,
driving piles into the perimeter of the foundations, and then
basically digging a big hole.
"After filling the foundations with concrete we build what are
known as the `cores', which include the lift shafts. Then each
floor is built outwards from the core.
"It's a post-tension structure, which means ducts are cast into the
concrete with wire tendons within. These tendons are then stressed
from the slab edge, which means we get greater strength using less
concrete."
The first 23 floors will accommodate a 285-bedroom Hilton Hotel. On
the floors above will be 219 flats and penthouses, with those on
the top expected to sell for a cool £3.5m.
From the 23rd floor there are already vertigo-inducing views
across Manchester, the Peak District, and towards Liverpool and
Snowdonia in Wales.
When finished, the floor will feature a "sky bar", where residents
and guests will be able to look down through glass portals to the
hotel lobby 164ft (50m) below.
From the sky bar upwards, the building will jut out by about five
metres on the north face, visually balanced by a 66ft (20m) glass
blade on the top on the south face.
The building will feature a swimming pool jutting out of the second
floor, where there will also be a large ballroom.
Stuart Loftus said: "Wind is one of the major difficulties with a
project like this, so much so that the cranes are actually tied to
the building three times as it goes higher."
Carillion will have 400 workers on site as the project nears its
end. The firm is currently building seven developments in
Manchester.
Big chance for little firms in £13m office block
SMALL businesses will get the chance to buy prime-site premises
when a new, 17-storey office building opens in Manchester city
centre.
PH Property Holdings have been given planning permission to build
the £13m block at 15-17 Windmill Street and plan to sell the
individual floors to companies, rather than lease them.
The company will demolish the derelict pub that stands on the site
later this year, with construction of the new building beginning
early in 2006. The project should be completed by spring
2007.
The first floor of the building will be a large coffee shop, with
the 16 floors above sold as office space.
James Heyworth, 36, director of Knutsford-based PH Property
Holdings , said: "It's slightly unusual to do this, as most new
buildings in the city centre are leased by floor.
"This building will have a small footprint, so there will be less
square footage per floor, which means smaller businesses can own
their own premises.
"There's not much available for small businesses to buy in the city
centre.
"Companies can buy in St John Street or Oxford Court, but these are
mock-Georgian buildings and don't provide the clean, open-plan
space of a modern property."
The new building has been designed by Stephenson Bell Architects,
the firm which designed Convention Centre next to the
G-Mex.