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Developer Manner has re-secured planning permission to build a 35-storey student accommodation tower on the site of the former Hotspur Press building in Manchester, after a “devastating” fire last summer destroyed most of the structure.
CGI of Manner’s Hotspur Press regeneration, Manchester
Manchester City Council initially greenlit Manner’s plans to redevelop the site in May 2024, but the developer said the bid to list the historic building would delay the scheme by eight months. In February 2025, the government approved the plans, which included a 37-storey tower with 595 student beds.
However, following a “devastating” fire in June 2025, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service partially demolished the building to “enable safe firefighting and excavation in areas that are currently inaccessible, mitigating any risk to life”. Manner resubmitted plans for the site in August.
The new plans, designed by architect Hodder + Partners, feature a 35-storey tower comprising 619 student bedrooms, a new 10,000 sq ft public square and landscaped walking routes from both Cambridge Street and First Street.
The plans also include the construction of a brick building up to the fourth floor of the tower, which aims to replicate the appearance and architecture of the old mill.
The elevations that were due to be retained as part of the previous proposal will now be rebuilt, including the east elevation fronting Cambridge Street, which is no longer standing, and the elevations facing the River Medlock and the railway arches.
Manner said the iconic Hotspur Press and Percy Brothers signs will also be remade and reinstated.
It added that the remaining structures on site will need to be taken down due to fire damage and any materials that can be reused will be incorporated into the new scheme.
A spokesperson for Manner said: “We welcome the committee’s decision to grant planning approval of our plans for The Hotspur Press. At the heart of our proposal has always been a desire and a commitment to the city to bring forward a scheme that will sympathetically regenerate the site of The Hotspur Press.
“Thank you to the members of the local community who have stuck with us throughout the challenges that we have faced and engaged with the project team, providing positive and constructive feedback as we developed our plans.”
Stephen Hodder, founding director of Hodder + Partners, added: “The approval represents the next chapter in the regeneration of The Hotspur Press to ensure that it lives on as a major landmark in the city.
“The site is an important gateway to the city from the south and pivotal when viewed from Whitworth Street. Its regeneration will provide a faithful reinstatement of the elevations of The Hotspur Press and will replicate many of the mill’s architectural features and a new public square. I’m pleased the revised plans have been approved.”
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