Ethan Davies witnessed something Manchester hadn’t seen in years on Thursday. Here’s his account from a ring-side seat…

The new skyscraper was going to tower above neighbour Oxygen – but it’s in tatters now(Image: SimpsonHaugh for LFB via planning documents)

I witnessed something Manchester hadn’t seen for years yesterday: A developer being told no.

I’ve reported on Manchester city centre development for four years now. I’ve lost count of how many times a flashy CGI has come across my desk and then become reality a year-or-so later.

My excitement levels for a planning application arguably form a half-decent marker of how much Manchester’s grown up. There was a time when 20 storeys piqued my interest.

Then 30 became the minimum for a ‘big deal’, but that all changed when Renaker unveiled Plot D in 2023, a 71-storey behemoth that made anything shorter than 50-storeys seem quaint.

So when Liquid Funding Business (LFB) revealed its plans for a 50-storey skyscraper in October 2024, it seemed business-as-usual. It was planned for where Stockton’s furniture shop has been for generations, a fairly-sized plot of land near Piccadilly train and bus stations that could host hundreds of flats.

The planned 50 storey tower, where Stockton’s furniture store is, was going to make a £13m loss(Image: SimpsonHaugh for LFB via planning portal)

The council had already drawn up a development blueprint for the neighbourhood. Although the planning application was a bit taller than its upper limit, it’s not uncommon for developers to slash a few floors out midway through the process, as we saw in Ardwick earlier that year.

But then the rows started and it became apparent this wasn’t going to be plain sailing.

Delaying and deferring

LFB’s 750-flat proposal was first debated in November, when councillors deferred making a final decision to investigate its potential impacts on light on the neighbouring Oxygen tower. Oxygen residents then presented a last-minute report to the planning committee in December, forcing another delay.

Extra time didn’t resolve differences between LFB and Oxygen residents, who argued their expected light loss ‘is so substantial they will rely on artificial light for much of the day’, telling councillors on Thursday (January 15) ‘it’s not unreasonable for new schemes to respond and overwhelm’.

LFB representatives hit back in the town hall planning meeting: “The critical point is the resultant natural light on the affected windows will be broadly [in line] with city centre locations as benchmarked.”

A £13m loss revealed

Manchester council has approved city centre towers which cause light loss before, though. LFB’s real problems arrived as soon as Coun Sam Wheeler opened his mouth.

After pointing out the scheme was set to make a £13m loss, giving scant chance affordable flats would be built, he said it failed to meet the authority’s ‘strategic regeneration framework’ (SRF), the masterplan for the area.

He explained: “This development breaks the SRF in three key ways.

“Firstly, it states the upper limit will not exceed 45 storeys… with the majority being lower. Two buildings of 25 and 50 storeys is over-development.

“Secondly, the SRF calls for integration. The development defies the laws of economics but it cannot defy the laws of physics.

Floor 33 of the larger tower, where amenity space for ‘podcast studios’ and ‘yoga rooms’ may have been housed(Image: SimpsonHaugh for LFB via planning documents)

“Great Ancoats Street has illegal levels of pollution. The evidence is if you build a canyon, pollution will stay at street level.

“Thirdly, the SRF calls for a socially diverse neighbourhood. The minimum rent level does not permit this, and a lack of affordable housing breaks Manchester’s housing policy aims and this SRF specifically.”

The dissection of LFB’s plans wasn’t over, though. Next, fellow Piccadilly politician Jon-Connor Lyons said light and height problems could have been resolved earlier — but developers failed to meet with him before they requested planning permission.

“In my eight years as a councillor, that has never happened before,” he remarked.

The dream dies

After Manchester waited years to block a skyscraper, it was done in minutes.

Paul Andrews, the veteran councillor always ready to grasp the nettle, formally proposed the committee refused the bid.

“We should not be seeing fancy yoga rooms. We should be seeing affordable housing,” added Angela Gartside when she seconded it.

The committee voted and it was unanimous: No planning permission.