Plans to initiate another major office space overhaul in central Manchester have been submitted for approval by The Co-operative Group, one of the city’s largest employers. The aim is to see the Hanover Buildings close to Victoria Station refurbished and rejuvenated.
If given the green light, the project would constitute a fifth phase of the £800 million NOMA regeneration effort that is already in the process of substantially re-shaping a large area of the city centre.
The Co-operative Group has long had a prominent presence towards the northern edges of city centre Manchester and the first part of the NOMA initiative involved the development of what will soon be its new £100 million headquarters at 1 Angel Square.
The proposed redevelopment of the Grade II listed Hanover Buildings, where a number of Co-op Travel employees are currently based, will not be on the same scale as 1 Angel Square but should deliver roughly 100,000 sq ft of central Manchester offices and 30,000 sq ft of retail space. Staff will continue to work from the Hanover site for the time being while the relevant authorities take a closer look at the Co-op’s plans.
“This is a really important milestone for NOMA, and marks the beginning of phase five of the programme,” said David Pringle, director of the NOMA project. “The plans are a brilliantly creative use of one of our heritage buildings, and the first step in unlocking the potential of the group’s current Manchester complex.”
Expectations are that the Co-op Group’s new headquarters on Angel Square will be officially opened in September 2012. According to the Manchester Evening News, it is anticipated that the redevelopment of the Hanover Buildings will create around 900 jobs in the area, a third of which should be permanent.
