Manchester council's executive is set to sign off plans to expand the NOMA development in the city centre.
The expansion to the £800m development could see an extra 620,000 sq ft of new offices built around Angel Square to meet growing demand for 'Grade A' office space, the .
Also expected to be approved by councillors is an updated strategic regeneration framework (SRF) for the area, which earmarks three plots of land for retail and leisure space, including a hotel.
Proposals for a multi-storey car park have been abandoned within the revised scheme due to Manchester’s commitment to becoming zero carbon by 2038.
Around 563,000 sq ft of offices have been built or are under construction at NOMA, including Amazon’s first 海角视频 headquarters outside of London, with 5,300 jobs created in the last decade.
A luxury 36-storey tower with 458 apartments to rent has also opened, though roads around the building had to be closed in February after cladding panels were blown off in a storm.
Councillor Nigel Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester council, said in August: "The updated plan for NOMA is to build on the success of the area and meet the potential of a key gateway site into the city centre - which has excellent transport links via Victoria Station and the Shudehill interchange.
“The neighbourhood has already brought about some incredibly exciting, sustainable architecture in No1 Angel Square, as well as bringing back into use some important heritage buildings.
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“The challenge will be to emulate that success and drive the ambition for future investment to create new commercial space, new homes and continue the goal of excellent place making - and at a crucial time for the city’s economic recovery following Covid-19.”
Manchester council’s endorsement of the SRF paved the way for a public consultation of 3,115 residents, landowners, businesses and stakeholders between August 18 and September 29.
Just 25 responses were received, though the majority of them expressed support for the expansion of NOMA and praised the regeneration that has been brought to the area.
But some respondents felt there would be a need to reassess office and employment demand in response to the shift to home-working during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A report to the council's executive says: “The growth of the city centre will be important to the economic recovery of [Manchester].
“Whilst there may be a short-term slowdown in demand and delivery, it is expected that growth will resume in the medium-long term.”
Some residents and councillors also raised construction noise as a primary concern having noted difficulties with other developments in the area where breaches in construction practice ‘had not been effectively managed by the council’.
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Referring to the cladding incident at the Moda Living tower, a resident’s group requested a compensation scheme to penalise the developer, which should be used to fund maintenance and improvements at NOMA.
While NOMA’s green and public spaces were praised for their worth during heightened Covid restrictions, some residents urged the council to provide more within the development.
It was also argued that more affordable housing should be provided within NOMA, but the report says the nearby Northern Gateway would provide 15,000 new homes - including affordable housing - over the next 15 to 20 years.
Other concerns raised within the consultation related to the ‘worn and dated’ design of the £105m No1 Angel Square, which serves as the head office for the Co-operative Group.