| Piccadilly Tower | |
|---|---|
| Inacity Manchester.jpg The Proposed "Piccadilly Tower" will become the tallest in Manchester |
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| General information | |
| Status | On hold |
| Type | Residential, hotel and car parking |
| Location | Manchester |
| Coordinates | |
| Estimated completion | On hold |
| Cost | £220 million[1] |
| Height | |
| Roof | 188 m (617 ft)[2] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 58[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Woods Bagot[2] |
| Developer | Ballymore[1] |
The Piccadilly Tower (also known as Eastgate and previously known as Inacity Tower)[1] is a major development designed by Woods Bagot[2] that is currently on hold whilst under construction in Manchester city centre, England.
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The development will provide a 58-storey skyscraper with a height of 188 m (617 ft).[2] If completed according to the original proposals, the building will become the tallest building in Manchester[1] and the tallest building in the UK outside London[3] (a title currently held by Beetham Tower, Manchester).
The tower will provide 420 residential units and a 220 bed hotel,[1] as well as a fitness centre, conference facilities, restaurants and bars.[4] New public walkways will be constructed along the Ashton Canal, which is adjacent to the site.[2] A car park will be constructed in the three underground floors, with 349 residential spaces and 400 spaces in an NCP. There will also be a 17-storey "East build" section at the side of the main tower, with retail/commercial/residential occupancy on floors -2 through to 1, and residential units on floors 2 through 17.[4]
The site was previously an NCP car park[1] on a railway viaduct located to the rear of Piccadilly Station[3] between Store Street and Ducie Street. It was purchased by Inacity for £14 million in 2003.[5] The proposal for the building was submitted by Inacity in 2004[6] and was approved one year later, in March 2005.[1] The total cost of the development is expected to be £220 million.[1]
The project was originally a joint venture between Inacity and Merepark, but the venture has since been sold to Irish property developers Ballymore, with Inacity retaining a small share. This will be Ballymore's first development in the Manchester area.[1][7] The top four floors of the building will be occupied by Wayne Mellor, the chairman of Inacity.[1]
Groundwork for the tower started in January 2008,[8] and was expected to be completed in August 2008. The work consists of demolishing the 8 m tall arches currently occupying the site, the redirection of a sewer passing through the site, and the construction of a 19 m deep concrete retaining wall to the north, where the site is adjacent to a canal.[9]
On 8 September 2008, joint developers Inacity announced the project had been put on hold due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010, and construction would not resume until the economy stabilised. As a result, the site was converted back to a carpark.[10] As of 1 November 2009, work began on the site again, with diggers clearing the asphalt in order to make the car park more permanent. However, though said fixtures and fittings are in place, the site remains fenced off and has not been used as a car park since its conversion. It is unclear whether this is being done as a result of planning requirements, or whether this would indicate that the project is to be delayed for some considerable time to come.
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