MANCHESTER AIRPORT HAS CONCERNS OVER PROPOSED 'GATEWAY' TO THE QUAYS

The airport has expressed concerns over the newly proposed 'huge' development which would be sited at the Eastern end of Anchorage Quay.

A four storey building which was once home to offices belonging to Barclay's bank is due to be demolished to make way for the Sky Scraper, however airport bosses have raised concerns over the height of the building which is planned to replace it.

As it stands, any building over the height of 90 metres has to be referred to the airport so they can determine if it will affect the safety of flight paths in the area. The proposed new building will exceed that limit and stand at 95 metres tall.

The airport will now have to decide if measures to mitigate the impact of the building will be required.

The block will contain approximately 290 apartments in what is deemed a high value area and so none of them would be required to be 'affordable'.

The developer has agreed an initial sum of £1.3 million in section 106 fee's which would be split between local parks and infrastructure works at the nearby Weaste Cemetery as well as improvement works within Salford Quays and along Broadway as well as £70,000 which would go towards a parking permit scheme on designated streets in the Broadway area.

The planning department has recommended the development be passed at a meeting on Thursday so long as the expected cash is forthcoming.

Although the documents state that,

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“Importantly, the exact sums payable cannot be determined until such time as final apartment numbers and the dwelling mix are confirmed.”

The new building has been described as a landmark and a gateway to the Quays by developers but some environmentalists have adopted the words of the Prince of Wales to describe it as a 'monstrous carbuncle' which is not needed.