Manchester City Council Item 7 Planning and Highways Committee 13 March 2014 Application Number Date of Appln Ward 104475/FO/2013/C1 16 December 2013 City Centre Ward 104476/LO/2013/C1 16 December 2013 City Centre Ward Proposal Conversion of former office building (Class B1) to create a 40 no. bed hotel (Class C1) with ancillary bar, restaurant and conference facilities, together with rooftop extension and external alterations. and LISTED BUILDING CONSENT for external and internal alterations, including rooftop extension, in association with full planning application for the conversion of former office building (Class B1) to create a 40 no. bed hotel (Class C1) with ancillary bar, Location 8 - 10 Booth Street, Manchester, M2 4AW Applicant King Street Investments, 11 Didsbury Park, Manchester M20 5LH Agent Turley Associates, 10 th Floor, 1, New York Street, Manchester M1 4HD 1.0 Introduction 8-10 Booth Street is a Grade II listed building, built in 1872 for the Manchester and Salford Trustees Savings Bank. It is located in the heart of the Upper King Street Conservation Area close to many other listed buildings. It is in an area close to Albert Square which is characterised by commercial offices with some food and drink uses present at ground floors. There is also residential accommodation located on the upper floors of some nearby buildings. The building was substantially altered in the 1980’s, when the interior was essentially gutted, and re-formed into office space. Prior to this, alterations have taken place to the Booth Street elevation over many years, changing the arrangement of doors and windows. 8 – 10 Booth Street is part of an urban block and physically adjoins Belvedere House to the south east and Massey Chambers to the north west. The building fronts onto Booth Street and to Kennedy Street. The closest building in residential use is Massey Chambers which adjoins the application site. 8-10 Booth Street predominantly overlooks blank elevations of Massey Chambers, and there are no habitable rooms to this side of the building. The street pattern in the area is made up of narrow streets which, together with building heights, restricts views of the roofscape from street level. Manchester city centre is the largest driver of employment growth in the North West and is at the centre of its economic, social and cultural life. The mix of uses in the area provides vitality and activity and combine to make a major contribution to the wider city centre and regional economies. 35 Manchester City Council Item 7 Planning and Highways Committee 13 March 2014 The proposals involve increasing the height of 8 – 10 Booth Street, thereby distancing Massey Chambers from any potential noise source caused by the roof terrace. 2.0 Description of proposed development Application 104475/FO/2013/C1 is a full application which relates to the change of use of the building from offices (Class B1) to hotel (Class C1), together with a rooftop extension, the creation of a rooftop terrace and changes to the exterior of the building, including the creation of a new doorway to the Booth Street elevation. Application 104476/LO/2013/C1 seeks Listed Building Consent for internal and external alterations , together with the rooftop extension, terrace and changes to the exterior. The two main alterations to the external appearance of the building are a rooftop extension, to provide additional accommodation and an external terrace, and the replacement of an existing window on the Booth Street elevation, with a door. There building has a mansard roof which was re-worked / modernised during the 1980’s, together with the addition of a brick plant room. The application proposes an additional floor to accommodate an event space, to hold up to 200 people. The Booth Street elevation of the rooftop extension is a glazed curtain wall to continue the treatment at the fifth below. This glazing is full height up to the underside of the overhanging roof edge. The Kennedy Street frontage of the rooftop extension steps back from the floor below to form a rooftop terrace. The glass balustrade to the terrace is 1.5m high, with a glazed canopy above. Access to the terrace is from sliding folding doors. Given the height of the building, and its relationship to streets and nearby buildings, it is difficult to view the proposed works to the roof from street level. The Booth Street frontage currently has a central feature doorway, with a secondary door to the left, both of which are retained, and provide level access. To the right- hand side of the central door is an existing window, which is to be removed to provide an additional doorway. This is proposed for circulation reasons, and due to the importance of making a clear distinction between the principle central entrance intended for guests through to the reception, and an access to and from the bar and restaurant area. Internally, the ground floor to the hotel is reached via the central doorway which provides level access to the hotel foyer. The ground floor also includes a bar / restaurant, with access gained by the creation of an additional door on the right hand side of the front elevation. There would be 40 bedrooms on the upper floors. Internal alterations would necessitate the replacement of corridors and existing office spaces. An existing internal atrium, created in the 1980’s, would also be infilled in order to maximise the available floorspace for the hotel. The hotel would operate on a 24 hour basis for the residents, 365 days a year. The restaurant would open at 6.30am and close at 2am, seven days a week. Events 36 Manchester City Council Item 7 Planning and Highways Committee 13 March 2014 would also be accommodated until 2am. A key component of the use and associated business model is the ability to host events, functions and conferences. The nature of the operation would be consistent with other boutique Eclectic Hotels in the City, which includes St John’s Hotel in Castlefield. The roof terrace would be open to residents of the hotel on a 24 hour basis, and the proposed activities intended for the roof terrace both during the day and the evening include conferences, private and corporate events, parties and weddings, afternoon teas, and BBQ’s, principally in the summer. There would be non-amplified background music, linked to the internal hotel system for all public areas, and noise levels would be controlled. Where amplified music is played in the internal upper floor event space, noise breakout is controlled to external areas through the creation of a two-door lobby arrangement, with the door situated away from the nearest residents, and by locking the doors from the event space to the terrace from 11pm. It is anticipated that the hotel would initially employ a total of 60 staff. This would comprise 40 full-time and 20 part-time workers. It is also anticipated that the building would eventually employ 70 staff, once the hotel has been operating for over a year. An existing vehicular access from Kennedy Street to an existing basement car park is retained as part of the proposals. 3.0 Consultations 3.1 Local Residents/Businesses The planning application has been advertised as: affecting the setting of listed buildings; affecting a conservation area; and a development in the public interest. Site notices have been displayed and businesses and residents in the area notified of the application. Two Individual letters have been received to the proposed development. One of these is from an occupier of the adjoining office space within Belvedere, which expresses concerns about the relationship between the existing roof terrace at Belvedere, and the proposed rooftop terrace at 8 – 10 Booth Street. It is stated that Belvedere has an outdoor terrace area which staff use during fair weather as a ‘break out’ area, and is also used for hosting events to entertain clients. The concern expressed is that the Booth Street proposals for a roof terrace will impact upon the amenity of the Belvedere terrace as a result of disturbance from noise breakout, and would cause disturbance. In addition, it is stated that the inclusion of a barbeque / kitchen area on the terrace would result in unpleasant odours, and potentially smoke, being released. As such, it is considered that the rooftop terrace should not be permitted. A further concern is disruption throughout the construction process, which may be for up to eight months, and would result in scaffolding, thereby restricting the use of the Belvedere terrace. 37 Manchester City Council Item 7 Planning and Highways Committee 13 March 2014 A second expression of concern, from a nearby business on Kennedy Street, refers to disruption caused by construction works at 8 – 10 Booth Street. This includes noise from vehicle horns, visiting the building, suffered on a daily basis. 3.2 Consultees. 3.2.1 English Heritage English Heritage was consulted because the rooftop extension exceeds 20m above ground level. They state that 8-10 Booth Street is the former Manchester and Salford Trustees Saving Bank, designed by Edward Salomons and is a Grade II listed building, situated in the Upper King Street Conservation Area. English Heritage have given extensive pre-application advice to the applicant at the invitation of the City Council Planning Department. Whilst they are content with the principle of conversion to a boutique hotel and the very considerable changes to the interior and roofscape that is proposed they have consistently, and repeatedly, argued against the introduction of a third doorway to the front elevation. They consider that the application ignores their advice and will cause substantial harm to the Grade II listed building.