Anger as listed building to be bulldozed for tower

ANOTHER tower block is to be built in Manchester city centre - but for heritage groups it is a watershed moment as a Grade II listed building will eventually be demolished to make way for it.

- NEAL KEELING

The development, in a conservation area, will go ahead after the secretary of state decided not to call in the plan despite objections from Historic England. The decision by Michael Gove not to intervene means the £55m scheme by Property Alliance Group for the 14-storey block can go ahead.

Reedham House, on King Street West, dates from 1849. It was once a showroom for horse-drawn carriages manufactured in a building behind it. With its classical design, it fits perfectly into the Parsonage Gardens conservation area, close to the River Irwell.

Permission was given to bulldoze the building and construct a 14-storey £32m office block in its place after councillors visited the site last year. The response from the country's key heritage groups, all of whom had objected, has been one of dismay.

But a spokesperson for the developers said in a statement: "To be clear, we are not about to demolish the building, further work is required before anything like this is done."