Our approach and attitude toward urban development in England – and this is increasingly infecting the thinking around rural development – seems to be more and more ‘American’ week on week. Look at this hideous development proposal, using ex-premier league footballer money, in Manchester. Hopefully, this will prove to be just another version of fantasy football.
It is understood Historic England, which used to be English Heritage, is not impressed by the scale of the skyscrapers.
But Mr Neville said the only way to fit everything wanted by the council onto the site – while also opening it up and including considerable public space – was to build upwards.
He said for him the two plazas, to be known as St Michael’s Gardens and St Michael’s Square, were the stand-out part of the development.
“A large part of the site is usable to the public. That’s something that was driving us from day one and that’s what pushed us,” he added.
The most controversial aspect of the development is likely to be the demolition of the historic Sir Ralph Abercromby, said to have been the inspiration for the pub in TV cop show Life on Mars.
Roger Gambba-Jones 