51-Story Towers Approved for Manchester

Simpson Haugh has won planning permission for two 51-story residential tower blocks in central Manchester, England, U.K. Building Design reported in March. Members of Manchester City Council’s planning and highways committee followed officers’ recommendations to approve the 988-home Great Jackson Street twin-towers scheme. Officers said the proposal was a “high-quality scheme in terms of its appearance” and would provide areas of high-quality public realm for occupiers of the development and the wider community. The newly approved towers will sit alongside Simpson Haugh’s Deansgate Square development for developer Renaker, which features a 64-story tower. The new scheme has drawn criticism for failing to meet affordable-housing targets, but officers told councilors that there was a mechanism under which the viability of delivering affordable housing as part of the scheme could be reviewed.