The transformation of Spinningfields into a vibrant part of the City Centre becomes a reality this spring with the completion of several major developments.
The 8.9ha Spinningfields area is bounded by Deansgate, Bridge Street, Quay Street and the River Irwell and was originally home to the sprawling buildings of the Manchester College of Arts & Technology, outdated courts buildings and council offices at Cumberland House. With a need to replace the courts, Allied London was chosen to spearhead its redevelopment. The first phase of the development saw the construction of a new £5m business studies centre for Mancat on Quay Street. This was handed over to the college in April 2002 and paved the way for work to start on Westbury Homes Left Bank residential development overlooking the River Irwell. This £80m development includes a 16-storey tower and is due for completion in phases from the summer.
Work on the new City Magistrates Courts building, on the site of Cumberland House started early in 2002 after council staff had moved to new premises. The £30m building is being built by consortium G4CSG under the Private Finance Initiative and is a joint venture between Manchester City Council and the Lord Chancellor’s department.
The new court comprises 18 courtrooms, coroner’s court, waiting rooms, access areas and office space for 180 support staff, together with around 1,915 sq m of retail space. The court and office facilities are housed in separate buildings with a glazed atrium separating the blocks. The layout allows for operational changes within the judicial system over the life of the building, with the ability to let the office space separately. The building is due to be handed over in the next couple of months.
Also due for handover this spring are two new buildings for the Royal Bank of Scotland. On the Deansgate frontage is the customer facing element, 1 Spinningfields Square. This includes A1/A2/A3 uses at ground level, with seven floors of offices above. Glass-faced, the building reflects the adjacent Rylands Library.
To the rear, 1 Hardman Boulevard will operate as RBS’s back office in a 41,355 sq m, ten-storey centre. The building was designed by RHWL and again includes ground floor retail space – part of the plan to make Spinningfields attractive to pedestrians.
Yet to come in Spinningfields are more offices and a new Civil Justice Courts on Gartside Street. The latter will be housed in a 15-storey, 36,381 sq m, building designed by Australian architects Denton Corker Marshall. The 56 law courts in the building will deal with civil court cases and represents a consolidation of the civil court sites throughout the city. Work is due to start in the summer.
Two offices already have the benefit of planning permission. Number 2 Hardman Street will be a 14,000 sq m unit located directly to the rear of 1 Spinningfields. Guardian Media Group, which publishes the Manchester Evening News, Guardian and Observer, is to take four floors of the building in a deal which will see their existing offices on the Deansgate frontage made available for redevelopment. On the opposite side of Hardman Street, on land currently used for car parking, Allied London has permission for a further ten-storey building with 21,163 sq m offices above 790 sq m ground floor uses. Meanwhile Allied London has commis-sioned architect Lord Foster to design the 1.6ha site at the centre of Spinningfields. This should be submitted for planning consideration in the summer and includes a 35- storey office tower, 1 Hardman Square. This, together with a further three buildings surrounding a new public square, will replace Quay House on Quay Street, together with the southern end of the courts site. This phase of the development will include 92,900 sq m of offices, a 6,503 sq m department store and a 250-bed hotel.
The design for Spinningfields also includes four major new or reconfigured public squares, a tree-lined boulevard and enhancement to existing streets and riverside walk-ways. Designed by Hyland Edgar Driver, the public realm works are due for completion at the culmination of the Spinningfields project in 2008. The £13m public realm works being carried out by Wrekin includes paving, ballustrading and street furniture.