Historic England has said it is ‘deeply concerned’ about proposals to build a pair of bronze-clad skyscrapers in central Manchester and will officially object to the Make-designed scheme, according to press reports.
Historic England said a video released by the backers of the high-rise St Michael’s development – a consortium which includes former Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs – showed ‘how aggressively the proposed buildings would jar against the grand civic buildings’ around Albert Square.
The organisation feared the design, height and colour of the 31 and 21-storey towers would dominate the Deansgate/Peter Street conservation area and dwarf the nationally-important Grade II*-listed Central Library and Grade I-listed Town Hall.
A spokeswoman for Historic England added that the current proposal was ‘not good enough to justify the damage it would cause to the streets around the site’.
For the full story see Historic England news and The Telegraph
