Work is set to start on the 200,000 sq ft office at NOMA in around 12 months, with plans moving forward at pace for the 11-storey building designed by architect SimpsonHaugh.

Site owner MEPC announced plans for the office in early March and has wasted no time in submitting a planning application, which covers a site on the corner of Corporation Street and Miller Street.

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Featuring around 200,000 sq ft of offices, the building is likely to be delivered speculatively with the project starting next May, subject to planning. The scheme is expected to go out to tender in the autumn, again subject to planning consent, with a contractor chosen in early 2020. Under the timescale set by MEPC, existing buildings on the site will begin to be cleared in March next year.

The floorplates will be just over 19,000 sq ft across nine floors, with the upper floor standing at 16,450 sq ft, along with a 3,000 sq ft roof terrace.

Around 7,300 sq ft on the ground floor is set aside for a food & beverage unit, while a 32,000 sq ft basement will include plant and 57 car parking spaces, along with 212 cycle spaces.

Buildings to be cleared to make way for the scheme include the Ducie Bridge pub, which closed in 2015 and was built in the late 1800s. The pub was found to be “highly unsafe” after surveys in 2017, and had previously been occupied by squatters. Two three-storey shops and a four-storey warehouse, all of which are vacant, will also be demolished to clear the site.

Under the timeline, the project is set to hand over in March 2021.

The professional team includes BuroHappold as structural & civil engineer; project manager Gardiner & Theobald; Deloitte as planner; Planit-IE as landscape architect; Curtins as transport consultant; CDM Services as principal designer; JGA as fire engineer; and Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture as heritage consultant.

The plans for 4 Angel Square follow recent commitments to invest in the extensive refurbishment of Redfern, a grade two-listed former warehouse and office building, which is being redeveloped into contemporary work space.

Construction work at Dantzic, another listed building being transformed into modern offices, is due to complete this spring while the first apartments in Angel Gardens, a 35-storey tower by build-to-rent developer Moda Living, will be available for rent this summer.

Global tech giant Amazon announced last year it would be opening the company’s first UK headquarters outside of London at Hanover, another recently renovated listed building at NOMA.

When complete, NOMA is expected to provide 2.5m sq ft of both new-build and renovated office space alongside housing, public realm, retail and leisure.

Two further offices at 2 and 3 Angel Square have been proposed; together, these will offer 145,000 sq ft and 260,000 sq ft of offices. Planning permission was secured for both buildings in 2015 but to date they have not been progressed.

Paul Pavia, head of development at MEPC, said:“Major corporates from not just the UK but across the globe are looking to base some of their operations in Manchester, thanks to the city’s strong civic leadership, thriving culture and leisure scene and increasing transport and digital connectivity.

“4 Angel Square will bring some much needed supply to the Manchester office market, with demand for high quality workspace outstripping supply and we’re excited to be submitting our proposals to the city council.”

In total, NOMA will provide 2.5 million sq. ft. of both new-build and renovated office space situated alongside housing, public realm as well as retail and leisure opportunities.

Article Place North-West