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UK: Developer Manner has secured planning consent for the regeneration of The Hotspur Press site in Manchester.
Designed by Hodder + Partners, the scheme will provide 595 student beds alongside a wider regeneration plan for the site, including a new public square.
The approved plans will see the construction of a brick building up to the fourth floor which replicates in detail the appearance and architecture of the mill, with a 35-storey bronze tower above.
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 as a result of a fire in June 2025, and the elevations facing the River Medlock and the railway arches. The iconic Hotspur Press and Percy Brothers signs will also be remade and reinstated.
The structures remaining on the site will be taken down due to the damage caused by the fire, although Manner said 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.”
The scheme will go ahead after a campaign to have the original building listed failed last year.
Highlights:
- Developer Manner has secured planning consent for the regeneration of The Hotspur Press site in Manchester
- Designed by Hodder + Partners, the scheme will provide 595 student beds
- The designs have had to be redrawn after a fire at the site in June last year
