London’s skyline is known for its glassy giants. The Shard, 22 Bishopsgate and One Canada Square are the tallest buildings in the UK, and all happen to be in the capital. But that southern dominance won’t be the case for long. Plans to build the tallest tower outside of the Big Smoke have just been approved.
A 78-storey skyscraper measuring a whopping 272m high will be built at the Regent Retail Park in Salford, Greater Manchester. It will be the third largest building in Britain, taking the bronze spot from One Canada Square in Canary Wharf. Construction will take a decade to complete.
The £1 billion project will also create 3,300 homes across 10 other buildings. 660 of those will be for social rent or ‘another form approved by the city council’, City AM reported. It will also include a community centre, park and space for GP services.
But not everyone is happy with the scheme. MP Rebecca Long-Bailey told the BBC there were ‘unanswered’ questions over how the existing services will cope with such a big increase in residents. Defending the application, managing director of Henley Investment Management Jay Squier said in Business Live the development was a ‘once in a generation opportunity for Salford'.
This isn’t the first time development in Manchester has sought to overtake London. Approval for the 78-storey tower marks the third time in the past 18 months that Greater Manchester has granted permission for a skyscraper intended to be the tallest in the UK outside London. In summer last year, a 71-storey tower in Manchester city centre was given the green light, and another 76-storey skyscraper was approved for the same area this year, and has the backing of legendary actor Robert de Niro.
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