Sarah Townsend
Ask Real Estate and Whitbread have unveiled plans to build a 41-storey residential tower and 400,000 sq ft of offices in the First Street development zone in central Manchester.
The proposals, designed by Jon Matthews Architects, include the residential tower containing 370 one- to two-bedroom apartments constructed on the site of the Premier Inn, the freehold of which is owned by pub and hotel owner Whitbread.
There would also be a 13-storey office block fronting Medlock Street and containing more than 390,000 sq ft of flexible workspace.
The scheme, known as One Medlock Street, sits opposite the First Street commercial scheme, also being developed by Ask. The latest phase of First Street – a 400,000 sq ft office and retail block rising to 11 storeys at Plot 9 – was approved last April and 80,000 sq ft of it has been pre-let to online car dealership Auto Trader Group.