Office block team know their ABC...
BUILDING consultancy Paragon is to drive forward the redevelopment of Allied London’s ABC Buildings project.
The scheme, which is part of the £1.35bn Enterprise City masterplan for St John’s in Manchester, will see the two buildings, previously known as Astley and Byrom House, brought back into use after previously being earmarked for demolition.
The iconic 1960s office blocks had been unoccupied for 10 years and will now undergo a comprehensive overhaul and remodelling to create 181,000sq ft of office, retail and commercial space.
The ABC Buildings are one of 10 iconic projects in the Enterprise City, alongside the Old Granada Studios and The Bonded Warehouse.
A team led by Paragon director and head of the Manchester office, James Onions, will provide project management and quantity surveying services on the development.
Onions said: “This instruction is testament to the outstanding reputation that we’ve built, not just in Manchester but the whole of the UK.
“We’re extremely passionate about future-proofing our historic city centres and generating jobs and homes for the area, as well as creating places to live, work and play.
“We’re proud to implement Allied London’s vision for this major project that will bring world-class commercial, residential and cultural space to this already great city.”
The instruction follows a merger between Paragon and Bond Davidson in May, creating a £22m business and one of the largest independent consultancies in the UK.
Paragon was founded in London in 2009, and opened its Manchester office at the Freetrade Exchange in 2015.
Michael Ingall, chairman and CEO of Allied London, said: “Paragon is an extremely highly regarded company in this field of work. It has built an outstanding reputation over the past nine years and this has been further enhanced following the recent merger. We’re confident that its high level of experience and distinct approach will help us meet the vision and goals we have for this transformational project.”