KICKED INTO TOUCH
Neville redraws ‘flawed’ Jackson’s row plans abercromby pub and Bootle st Police station spared Glass skyscraper replaces bronze tower blocks
GARY Neville has dramatically scrapped plans to bulldoze the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub and former Bootle Street police station after admitting his original designs for Jackson’s Row were ‘flawed.’
Two dark bronze tower blocks originally proposed for the St Michael’s development – off Deansgate – will also be reduced to one glass skyscraper under new designs.
The former United star has torn up his first set of proposals, revealed a year ago, after vocal objections from heritage bodies and the public.
Replacement designs are being unveiled at Central Library today.
New architect Stephen Hodder said he had ‘started with a clean sheet of paper’ to redraw the huge development after being asked by the council to review it in February, in the wake of Historic England’s warnings that it would create ‘high level of harm’ to the setting of the nearby town hall and Central Library.
Campaigns had also been launched against the demolition of the historic Sir Ralph Abercromby pub and former Bootle Street police station.
The draft masterplan may be revised again following today’s consultation but has initially been welcomed by Historic England as ‘positive.’ It would see the Abercromby preserved on the corner of a new route through the site, ‘in recognition of its emotional importance.’
The 1930s frontage of the police station would also remain in place, allowing its large interior courtyard to be used.
Behind it a new office block, around the same height as surrounding Victorian architecture, would be built with a roof-top park accessible to the public, instead of the original huge split-level space originally planned.
A new glass skyscraper would be placed at the western end of the site, as far away from the Grade I listed town hall as possible.
That tower, around the same height as the higher 31-storey block in the original proposals, would also incorporate a 5* hotel and apartments, with the Manchester Reform Synagogue rehoused in its lower floors.
Neither the design nor the interior plans of the new skyscraper have been finalised, although Mr Hodder said the glass structure would be more ‘delicate’ than the previous ‘heavy’ designs by architects Make. So far there has been no decision on the number of apartments.
Unlike the earlier tower it would not be visible from in front of Central Library, according to the designs.
As with the previous development, it would create an estimated 1,500 new jobs, many in the hospitality, hotel and retail trades.
Speaking ahead of today’s public exhibition in Central Library, Gary Neville said it was Historic England’s objections to the plans that had ultimately forced a re-think, admitting the body’s verdict had been ‘damning.’
His team had known ‘pretty early on’ that the plans had gone ‘too far,’ he said, adding: “On reflection it had flaws.
“I wanted to reach for the skies on the first scheme and basically it polarised opinion.”
Asked about the scheme’s original architect Ken Shuttleworth, who left a few weeks ago in the wake of Mr Hodder’s appointment, he said: “Ken is a wonderful architect. I think my feeling was that when Steve was introduced by the city council there was a better understanding and local appreciation.
“I haven’t got a bad word to say about Ken but we felt what this needed was a local touch.”
He said it was ‘important to get it right,’ adding: “We did not shy away from the passionate debate around the original proposals but instead embraced it in a positive spirit and addressed some of the issues raised head on.”
Mr Hodder said he had sought to address the key issues raised by the public and Historic England, specifically around design, lack of activity at street level, impact on heritage buildings, the colour of the tower blocks and the density of the development.
He had tried to find ways of retaining the whole Bootle Street station, he said, but found there was no way to make it work. Instead his designs keep its Portland Stone facade in place but add an office building to the back, fronting on to Jackson’s Row.
“We firmly believe the revised scheme is the right solution for the site,” he said.
The original plans for St Michael’s were unveiled by Gary Neville, his business partner Ryan Giggs, their Far Eastern investors and Manchester council – which has a financial stake in the scheme – a year ago but in January were subsequently tweaked following a public backlash.
Nevertheless those behind the scheme they said at the time that the crux of it would remain the same, arguing they had tried other ways of fitting in everything expected by the council – including a 5* hotel, apartments, replacement synagogue and public space – but that the resulting designs were the only viable way.
The original planning application was then submitted in February, but immediately received vocal criticism from Historic England. The following month Gary Neville announced he had asked the council to put his application on pending a rethink.
A new submission is expected early to mid-August, following further work in the wake of today’s consultation.
The latest plans are on display from 11am to 7pm in Central Library.