The report of the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing is enclosed.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing for the erection of 14 storey office building and the refurbishment of the existing buildings at 3 Smithy Lane and Carriage Works on Garden Lane / St Mary's Parsonage. The Committee considered and application for LISTED BUILDING CONSENT for the demolition of 31-33 King Street West and the refurbishment of the existing buildings at 3 Smithy Lane and Carriage Works on Garden Lane / St Mary's Parsonage with ground floor extension. Consideration of this proposal was deferred at the meeting of the Planning and Highways Committee on 6 July 2023 to enable a site visit to take place.

The proposal is for 4,849 sqm of office floorspace and the retention and improvement of the Grade II Listed 3 Smithy Lane and the Carriage Works, following the demolition of part of the listed complex and other buildings on site. Objections have been received from Historic England and Save Britain’s Heritage about the loss of 31-33 King Street West and the impact of the new build on the retained listed buildings and the surrounding Conservation Area. Application referenced 135029/LO/2022 will need to be referred to the Secretary of State for a decision if Members are minded to approve this proposal.

The Planning Officer did not have anything to add to the report.

The agent appreciated the concern over the demolition and noted that not much Victorian heritage survived World War II. The applicant had spent 4 years to find the best solution for the mix of heritage and development. Sustainability is key and this site would support Manchester’s zero carbon emission strategy. There was an ongoing demand for workspaces in the city and new offices would support more jobs.

This application would bring an underused site back into use and open up Garden Lane and Smithy Lane. The agent hoped that the Committee could support the application.

The Planning Officer stated that the building to be demolished had very little

remaining heritage and was listed as part of a complex. The proposal is large but this supported the restoration of the remaining listed buildings.

The Chair of the Planning & Highways Committee noted that the retention of heritage aspects was welcomed and invited the Committee to make comments or ask questions.

Councillor Riasat stated that the site visit was very useful to understand the context of the building and the proposal and was happy to see this modernisation and confirmed he supported this application.

Councillor Curley agreed that the site visit was useful. Once on site he understood the poor condition of the building and could see the value of saving the two buildings at the rear. This application offered a good resolution.

Councillor Davies referred to the pictures supplied showing current and proposed images and asked for them to be taken from the same viewpoint in future. She inferred that this was not a strong heritage site and added that the site visit was very revealing in that it assisted the Committee members in understand the site. The two buildings to the rear were worth preserving and Councillor Davies felt that it would be nice for the public to be able to see, if just on Open Heritage days. The courtyard was also a great gain from the project.

Councillor S Ali moved the officer’s recommendation of Minded to Approve subject to conditions within the report.

Councillor Kamal seconded the proposal.

Decision

The Committee resolved to be Minded to Approve for the application, subject to conditions set out in the report.