Joint venture development partners Argent and the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund (GMPVF) handed the contract to the company that built the Beetham Tower, the tallest residential building in Europe and now an iconic sight along the Manchester skyline.
The planned construction will see several hundred thousand square feet of new Grade A office space delivered close to the historic Manchester Library and Town Hall buildings.
“One St Peter’s Square is not only a building of significant architectural merit, but it will also create a new landmark building at the gateway to the city centre,” said John Rodaway from Carillion.
“We have previously worked with Argent, and we are very happy to have the opportunity to continue our successful working relationship,” he added.
The news of Carillion’s appointment came shortly after it emerged that KPMG, the consultancy and accounting firm, had signed up to take 63,000 square feet of office space at the planned Manchester development. However, there remains a further 210,000 square feet of offices to be accounted for at the site.
Kieran Quinn, chairman of the GMPVF, said: “We underwent a vigorous and lengthy process to ensure that the right contractor was selected for the construction of One St Peter’s Square.
“Experience, reputation and ability to deliver were of paramount importance as we are committed to ensuring that this is a very high-quality scheme and that it is completed within the projected time frame.”
Carillion is headquartered in Wolverhampton in the Midlands, but its operations extend into the Middle East, North America and across Europe. It employs roughly 50,000 people worldwide.
Editor’s notes: One St. Peter’s Square was completed in April 2014, offering 271,000 square feet of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ Grade A office accommodation. As of May 2024, the building was fully occupied by Addleshaw Goddard, CBRE, DLA Piper, Irwin Mitchell, KPMG, and Mazars.
Flexible office space and workspace provider WeWork also occupied the 2nd and 3rd floors of One St Peter’s Square, offering a range of agile business space solutions, including Full-Floor Offices, Private Offices and On-Demand Workspaces such as Part-Time Offices.
As of September 2026, One St Peter’s Square remained fully let.
Completed in 2006, Beetham Tower stands at 169 metres tall with 47 storeys.
As of September 2026, the South Tower at Deansgate Square, which was completed in 2018, was Manchester’s tallest residential tower, at 201 metres with 64 storeys.
In June 2026, it was reported that plans for the 76-storey, 246-metre-tall Nobu Manchester tower were progressing.
The project, which had received investment from Hollywood icon Robert De Niro, would contain 452 flats, a restaurant and a 160-bed hotel.