McGoff’s 17-Storey Manchester Tower Set for Planning Vote 2026

Key Points

• Revised proposal of the McGoff Group’s Manchester build-to-rent development scheme has been approved by the planning department of Manchester City Council.
• The project will provide 153 flats within a 17-storey building in proximity to the Marble Arch pub located on Rochdale Road.
• The scheme will become the second phase of McGoff’s Downtown Victoria North development.
• It has successfully obtained a subsidised loan of £27.4 million provided by the Good Growth Fund of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
• The revised design provides a 13 metre gap between the building and the Marble Arch with public space in-between.
• The application has been objected to 93 times, among which representation from the Marble Arch, Victorian Society and Campaign for Real Ale.
• Planning officers have recognised the detrimental impact on the setting of the listed pub and demolition of the Victoria Hotel, which was referred to as a non-designated heritage asset.
• It was determined that the public advantages of the scheme, such as provision of housing and regeneration of brownfield site, would overcome the heritage impacts.
• The application will be considered by a planning committee of Manchester City Council next week.
• The development will be designed as a car-free site and will include 108

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) September 18, 2026 – McGoff’s revised Manchester BTR plans for a 153-flat, 17-storey residential scheme have been recommended for approval by Manchester City Council’s planning department, despite opposition from the neighbouring Marble Arch pub, the Campaign for Real Ale and other heritage groups.

The proposal is expected to go before a Manchester Council planning committee next week. The recommendation does not represent a final planning decision.

The scheme would be built on a brownfield site near Rochdale Road, NOMA and Victoria Station. It forms the second phase of McGoff Group’s Downtown Victoria North development, a wider regeneration project that is already delivering build-to-rent housing in the area.

The proposal follows an earlier version that attracted criticism from local councillors and the Marble Arch. McGoff initially proposed 145 flats in a development comprising buildings of 10, 15 and 17 storeys. The revised application, submitted in May 2026, increases the number of homes to 153 and introduces a 13-metre separation between the proposed residential building and the pub.

The gap would contain public realm and green space intended to provide a buffer between the new tower and the historic venue. McGoff has said the design was changed after feedback from local stakeholders, businesses and residents, particularly regarding the building’s proximity to the pub and the limited amount of green space in the original proposal.

What would the proposed development include?

The project would provide a single 17-storey build-to-rent apartment building containing a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. The apartments would be supported by amenity space at ground-floor level and a car-free transport strategy.

The scheme would include 108 secure cycle spaces. The development is intended to encourage residents to use public transport, walking and cycling because of its location near Victoria Station, NOMA and central Manchester.

The proposal would also include public realm improvements and landscaped space between the apartments and the Marble Arch. McGoff has highlighted several environmental features, including high-performance building fabric, air-source heat pump technology, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and rooftop solar photovoltaic panels.

WSP is acting as planning adviser for the project, while Jon Matthews Architects is leading the design. Planit is advising on landscape matters. Booth King Partnership, Davies Partnership and S&C Engineering are also involved in the professional team.

The scheme has already secured a £27.4 million subsidised loan from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority through its Good Growth Fund. The financing means the proposal has public-sector backing before the council’s planning committee reaches a formal decision.

Why has the scheme attracted opposition?

The most prominent opposition has come from the Marble Arch, the historic pub directly beside the development site. The pub has argued that the proposed tower would dominate and overwhelm the building, distract attention from it and diminish its significance.

The Marble Arch has also raised concerns about the disruption that construction could cause to its trading operations. The objection is not limited to the completed building’s appearance. The pub has warned that a lengthy construction period could affect access, customer experience and the day-to-day operation of the business.

The Campaign for Real Ale has also opposed the proposal and described the scheme as “ridiculous and unnecessary”.

The application has attracted 93 objections. These include representations from the Marble Arch Public House, the Victorian Society and the Campaign for Real Ale. The pub is described in planning material as a listed establishment dating from the 1800s.

The objections focus on the proposed tower’s scale, its effect on the setting of the listed pub and the potential loss of historic character. Opponents have also questioned whether the vacant site should be redeveloped in this form and whether the public benefits justify the impact on heritage assets.

What did planning officers say about heritage?

Planning officers acknowledged that the proposal would cause harm to the setting of the Marble Arch. The assessment also identifies the total loss of the former Victoria Hotel, which would be demolished to make way for the new development.

The former Victoria Hotel is described as a non-designated heritage asset. Although it does not have the same statutory protection as a listed building, planning officers still considered its loss to be a material heritage issue.

The council’s assessment concluded that the impact on the listed pub would amount to a medium level of harm. However, officers considered that this harm would be outweighed by the public benefits of the project.

Those benefits include the removal of a low-quality vacant site, the delivery of 153 new homes and the regeneration of a strategically located brownfield site. The planning balance therefore favours approval, subject to the conditions and obligations associated with the application.

The recommendation does not mean that planning permission has already been granted. The final decision rests with the relevant Manchester Council planning committee. Members may accept the officers’ recommendation, impose additional conditions or reach a different conclusion after considering the application and public representations.

How has McGoff changed the original design?

McGoff changed the proposal after the original plan was criticised by the Marble Arch, local councillors and other stakeholders. The first version placed the development directly next to the pub and proposed 145 flats across buildings of varying heights.

The revised scheme retains a maximum height of 17 storeys but introduces a 13-metre distance between the pub and the residential building. The space is intended to function as a public realm buffer and includes dedicated green space.

The changes were intended to respond to concerns about the relationship between the new building and the pub. McGoff has also presented the revised scheme as a more sustainable development, pointing to its energy-efficiency measures, renewable energy provision and car-free approach.

Despite those alterations, the Marble Arch and the Campaign for Real Ale have not withdrawn their objections. Their position indicates that the disagreement concerns the principle, scale and heritage impact of the development, rather than only the detailed arrangement of the buildings.

How does the proposal relate to McGoff’s wider project?

The 153-flat application is the second phase of McGoff Group’s Downtown Victoria North scheme. The first phase is a £50 million, 237-home build-to-rent development located to the rear of the current application site.

Construction on the first phase, which includes 11- and 13-storey blocks, was nearing completion. The two phases would therefore create a substantial new residential quarter close to the Marble Arch, Victoria Station and the wider city centre.

The wider project reflects the continued expansion of build-to-rent housing in central Manchester. Under the build-to-rent model, homes are generally owned and managed as a single professionally operated rental scheme rather than sold individually to separate buyers.

For Manchester City Council, the development would add housing in a central, well-connected location. For nearby businesses and heritage groups, however, the proposal raises questions about how new high-density housing should be integrated around older buildings and established venues.

What happens next?

The application is expected to be considered by a Manchester Council planning committee next week. The committee will review the planning officer’s recommendation, the submitted documents and the objections made by residents, businesses and organisations.

The application can be identified through Manchester City Council’s planning portal under reference number 145583/FO/2026.

If permission is granted, the project would still need to comply with the conditions attached to the decision. These may cover matters such as construction management, noise, servicing, traffic, environmental performance, landscaping and the protection of nearby heritage assets.

The council’s decision will determine whether McGoff can proceed with the second phase of Downtown Victoria North in its revised form. A refusal, or a requirement for further amendments, could delay the development and require the applicant to revise the scheme again.

What is the background to the development?

The proposal emerged from McGoff Group’s plans to redevelop a brownfield site in the Downtown Victoria North area of Manchester. The original plans, publicised in 2025, proposed 145 flats in a series of buildings ranging from 10 to 17 storeys. Those plans attracted opposition from the Marble Arch and local councillors because of the proposed building’s scale and its proximity to the pub.

McGoff subsequently revised the design. The updated proposal increased the number of homes to 153 and created a 13-metre gap between the apartments and the Marble Arch. The space would include public realm and green landscaping.

The Marble Arch dates from the late nineteenth century and is regarded as an important historic pub in Manchester. The development site also contains the former Victoria Hotel, whose demolition would result in the loss of a non-designated heritage asset.

The council’s planning assessment accepts that the scheme would cause heritage harm but considers the impact to be outweighed by the delivery of new homes and the regeneration of a vacant brownfield site. The application has also received financial support through a £27.4 million subsidised loan from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Good Growth Fund.

How could the decision affect Manchester renters and local businesses?

If approved, the scheme would increase the supply of professionally managed rental homes near Victoria Station, NOMA and Manchester city centre. For renters, the 153 additional flats could provide more choice in a location with strong public transport connections, although the eventual rents, service charges and tenancy terms have not been confirmed.

The project could also alter the streetscape around the Marble Arch. The proposed 13-metre gap and public realm are intended to reduce the sense of direct enclosure, but the 17-storey building would still change views of the pub and its surroundings. The extent of that effect will depend on the final design, landscaping and the way the space is managed.

For the Marble Arch and neighbouring businesses, the construction period could create disruption through noise, deliveries, temporary access arrangements and building activity. The planning committee may address those risks through conditions and a construction management plan, but such measures would not eliminate all disruption.

For Manchester’s development sector, approval would support the continued expansion of build-to-rent housing and demonstrate how the council weighs new homes and brownfield regeneration against heritage concerns. For conservation groups, the decision will indicate how much change the council is prepared to accept around historic city-centre buildings.