Manchester Skyscraper Record Set To Be Broken Again

They say death and taxes are the only certainties in life, but for construction workers in the Manchester area, new skyscraper projects add a third.

Indeed, while it may be a hot summer, it will soon be wise to invest in winter construction work clothes, for the projects keep rolling in and will carry on right through this year and, it seems, for many to come.

The latest towering project has been proposed by Renaker Build, which is looking to break its own record for the tallest building in the city after submitting a planning application for a 71-storey building that will be 213 metres (699 ft) tall, higher than the nearby Deansgate Square Tower A, which is 201 metres tall.

It will feature 642 apartments as well as a gym, swimming pool and lounges for residents near the top of the tower, which will offer a panoramic view across the city.

Nicknamed The Lighthouse, its top will be illuminated and will feature a restaurant open to the general public.

In addition, a modest three-storey office building will be built next to the skyscraper, which may look a little incongruous amid the cluster of huge towers rising in the Great Jackson Street cluster at the south-western edge of the city centre.

Designed by architects SimpsonHaugh, which has its Manchester offices close by, the towers have been the biggest contributors to the transformation of what was once a relatively low-rise skyline, providing many thousands of construction jobs in the process. Moreover, with many more towers in the pipeline, there will be plenty more work to come.

Another skyscraper development in Manchester is the St Michael’s scheme, on which work is finally getting underway.

Already high-profile because of the central role played by former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville, it became controversial when the original plans included the proposed demolition of a popular pub and the former Bootle Street police Station, aspects Mr Neville admitted to the Manchester Evening News were a “huge mistake”.

The original scheme was rejected but much-revised plans, including a 41-storey tower, got the go-ahead.