The Hotspur Press, a landmark printing mill that has fallen into disrepair since closing its doors as a printing mill in 1996, is set for a new lease of life.
That’s because, after years of stalled redevelopment plans, a new developer has secured planning permission to transform the site. The city centre mill is going to become a 595-bedroom student block, one in ten of which will be affordable units.
Crucially, its facade and iconic ‘Percy Brothers’ signage will be refurbished and incorporated into the new development. The 37-storey tower will also have commercial units, and a 10,000 sq ft public square which will be ‘open to the community for the first time’.
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That falls alongside new greenery, trees, and an 'ambition to enhance the adjacent River Medlock'.
That’s according to Richard James, the boss of developers Manner, speaking at the council planning meeting where the project, expected to add £3.6 million to Manchester’s economy, was given the go-ahead unanimously.
He added: “I believe Hotspur Press will always be more than just a building.
“It stands as a connection between [Manchester’s] industrial history and its future. The Hotspur Press possesses all the ingredients and a rare opportunity to achieve that [economic and social progress].”
He went on to tell councillors that neighbours in MacIntosh Village and Chorlton Mill had expressed public support of the proposal, and that the commercial units on the ground floor and nearby railway arches would be made available for independent operators.
The approval comes after a 171-home, 28-storey standard residential proposal was given planning permission in 2020 — but building work never got off the ground. That led Manner to take on the site, who first revealed plans for student housing in December 2023.
Even then, there was another twist in the saga. Manner then revised their initial plans to reduce the height and width of the tower 'slightly', but add another floor, meaning the number of student bedrooms rose from 578 to 595. Construction is anticipated to get fully underway in early 2025, with completion due for the 2028 academic year.
Thursday's (May 30) planning meeting also saw a contentious plan to build a 15-storey student apartment block next to a nursery and MOT garage on Charles Street in the city centre. Despite compaints from business owners that construction could threaten the future of their firms, the bid from Jadebricks was approved after promises that acess to both would be maintained throughout construction.
Other approvals were given to schemes to build housing and a youth and sports hub on former playing fields on Mount Road in Longsight, building seven homes on Harpurhey, and the creation of houses on a former Islamic School for Girls in Chorlton.
The only deferral of the meeting came over a plan to build a 19-bed single man's homeless shelter in Miles Platting, which will be examined under a site visit at the next hearing.
