Manchester City Council List No. Planning and Highways 9 April 2009 Application Number Date of Appln Committee Date Ward 088508/FO/2008/C1 13th Feb 2009 9th Apr 2009 Hulme Ward Proposal Erection of a new build eight storey Business School and student hub with a two storey connecting link to the neighbouring All Saints Building Location Land At Lower Chatham Street Bounded By Cambridge Street/ The Mancunian Way And University Buildings, Manchester, M15 6HA, Applicant Mr Richard Cartwright , Manchester Metropolitan University, Capital Projects Office, Room 215 All Saints Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6BH Agent Mr Simon Doddy, Manchester Metropolitan University, Bath Brewery, Toll Bridge Road, Bath, BA1 7DE Description Description of Site and Surroundings The planning application relates to a site measuring approximately 0.94 hectares bounded by Cambridge St, Mancunian Way and the Manchester Metropolitan University's (MMU's) All Saints Building. The site is on the edge of the MMU's All Saints Campus between the Mancunian Way and the corner of All Saints Square, on the site of the former Loxford Tower and St Augustine's School which are now both demolished. Adjacent to the southern boundary of the application site, and fronting onto Lower Ormond Street, are the Bellhouse and St Augustines Church, both grade 2 listed buildings. Cambridge Street separates the application site from the mainly residential area of Hulme. The site is close to Oxford Road railway station, Metrolink, Metro-shuttle, and a wide range of bus services to all destinations within Greater Manchester.It is within walking distance of all of the services and facilities of the City Centre. The application proposal itself has developed from a procurement process that started in 2007 resulting in a competition between three architectural practices where concept designs were developed. These were assessed by a panel, lead by MMU's Vice Chancellor, and including representatives from the Universitiy's leadership and estates teams, the University's governors, and the Leader of the City Council; Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios were awarded the commission to develop its winning scheme for the University. The redevelopment of the site itself will help to secure the MMU's wider strategy of consolidating its 'estate' in response to changes in higher education funding and increasing competition for students within the higher education sector, by reducing its current seven sites to three. In Manchester consolidation is mainly on the All Saints Campus located in the education corridor based on Oxford Road. In this case the proposal involves the relocation of the Business School from its current Aytoun Street site. Manchester City Council List No. Planning and Highways 9 April 2009 Description of Proposal The application proposes redevelopment of the site to create a single building covering just over half of the site to be used as a business school and student hub. Key functions within the building will be: Business School - lecture theatres - seminar rooms - IT resource learning area - Business school administration and academic staff areas Student Hub - lecture theatres - social learning/IT drop in areas - dining and catering - student and academic services administration areas. The building would have access available 24 hours daily. It would be set within a new and fully accessible public realm including new public open spaces, a network of pedestrian connections, together with related highways, access and servicing works, landscaping and associated works. The height of the building would be ground plus 7 storeys at its highest next to the Mancunian Way, and would reduce to ground plus 4 floors at its lowest nearest to Lower Chatham Street. This step down in height is in part a reflection of the changing scale of buildings to the south of the Mancunian Way. The plan form of the building follows the line of Mancunian Way and Cambridge Street creating a 'trapezoid form' that in combination with the variation in height gives a distinctive three dimensional form to the building. Important in this layout is the creation of three flexible floorplates, orientated east to west between which are two open 'atria' spaces that extend the full height of the building. Externally a single volume 'envelope' is proposed and this is formed with a two storey base, formed in 'architectural' concrete, above which is a glazed façade. Within this glazed section a detail that appears as a 'fold' is introduced which provides visual interest but contributes to the external shading of the facades. The folds are cut back at the top of the building so that the clean profile of the building is maintained. Colour is incorporated into the facades in the form of a light refracting material at the end of the folds - able to catch the light and refract different colours - an effect that is seen as you move past the building or as the light tracks around it during the day. At night time light from within the building will illuminate the light refracting glass and create a coloured appearance on the building. This will be enhanced by low energy lighting of the building. The building design is also influenced by the aspiration to create a 'progressive low energy' building. Thermal mass, natural daylight and controlled ventilation, are the basis for creating this which is then supported by a number of integrated energy generation features, including a large photovoltaic installation for the Manchester City Council List No. Planning and Highways 9 April 2009 south facing roof, and ground cooling support for the chilling requirements for IT and high occupancy internal spaces. All servicing would be off Lower Chatham Street, with all refuse and recycling storage and collection, servicing and delivery facilities accessed via this point. An existing service route on the northern and western site boundaries is maintained as it provides access to the All Saints Building. The scheme would require the formal closure of part of the highway at the northern (application site) end of Lower Chatham Street. The scheme does not contain any provision for car parking within the site but includes parking for 150 cycles near the buildings main entrance. The public realm is formed by the hard landscaping leading from All Saint's Square to the buildings main entrance and by the incorporation and improvement of the existing Lyceum Square area, an area of landscaping opposite the proposed buildings main entrance. This public realm would join the top of both Lower Ormond Street and Lower Chatham Street and would link in with the established pedestrian movements within the area. Cycle parking for some 150 bicycles is to be provided within this public realm and this, together with natural surveillance, overlooking, passive surveillance, clear glazed visually permeable spaces associated with the building entrance, would create a safe and secure environment. The development would be expected to achieve a BREEAM rating of excellent, and will incorporate a ground-source heat-pump. In addition to the planning application forms, certificates, notices and drawings, a Design and Access Statement and Planning Statement have been submitted in support of the planning application. The Planning statement includes information on the following: 1. Landscape strategy and proposals 2. Sustainability 3. Secure by Design, including a Crime Impact Statement 4. Servicing strategy 5. Transport statement 6. Waste management 7. Acoustic study 8. Fume and vapour extraction 9. Sunlight and daylight assessment 10. Reflection (sun glare) assessment 11. Archaeological assessment 12. Wind assessment 13. Flood risk assessment 14. TV reception survey 15. Site ground condition survey Consultations Consultations Manchester City Council List No. Planning and Highways 9 April 2009 The application was advertised in the press and on site, on 20 February 2009 as being a major proposal of public interest that is close to listed buildings and on 24 March 2009 as affecting a public highway. The period for receipt of responses to the advertising in relation to the public highway will finish on 14 April after the Committee meeting. As a result the recommendation, if the Committee support the scheme, should be 'minded to approve' to allow consideration of any planning responses that might be received before a final decision is made. One letter of objection which raises the following issues has been received: - the building will attract more people into the area increasing the potential for crime, in particular theft from cars that are parked by non residents. - residents parking spaces are limited and other spaces are usually taken by students during the day limiting those available to residents - the view of the proposal from Hulme will be of a monumental 'slab' that does not have the same level of interest and activity associated with the opposite, building entrance side. - the proposed building will overlook residential property in Hulme affecting levels of privacy, - the size and position of the building will mean that traffic noise on Cambridge St will be accentuated within the Hulme area. - an increase in wind speed created by the building will increase rubbish being blown into residential areas - interference with analogue television reception is possible - there will be a detrimental impact on Hulme residents with no corresponding assistance through the scheme to help improve the local area. - Head of Regulatory Services (Contaminated Land) - no objections received