The Grade II listed Old Bank has been vacant for several years
A 92-year old bank in Manchester city centre will get a striking modern extension to provide new offices.
Plans to transform the Grade II listed Old Bank building on Corporation Street as part of the wider £800m NOMA development have been approved by Manchester council.
The seven-storey extension to the rear of the bank, which has been vacant for several years, will provide 97,250 sq ft of contemporary offices over six floors.
More than 6,900 sq ft will be earmarked for retail, leisure and co-working space on the ground floor fronting onto the Sadler’s Yard public square.
The extension will also take the place of the Pilcrow pub, which will move to another part of the 20-acre NOMA neighbourhood.
As part of the proposals put forward by Federated Hermes, the developer behind NOMA, the Old Bank will also be refurbished to accommodate the extension.
It would be the latest historic property within NOMA, after the Redfern and Dantzic buildings, to be redeveloped to offer deliver new workspaces in the area,
Old Bank will also be separated from the 14-storey New Century House, which it is connected to at ground and fifth floor level, to allow the buildings to operate independently’.
A planning statement submitted in July says: “The long term viable reuse of Old Bank Building represents an important further step towards delivering the full regeneration potential of NOMA, and will make a significant contribution to a range of strategic objectives and meet the growing demand for much needed Grade A office floorspace within the city.
“The new extension will restore and complete the historical urban grain to the rear of the building.”
“It will help to further define and strengthen Sadler’s Yard by providing an active frontage to the public square whilst providing a permanent solution to the site.”
The planning application was made weeks after Hermes outlined plans to extend Noma to build an additional 620,000 sq ft of new offices, retail and leisure space at Angel Square.
NOMA has already delivered around 563,000 sq ft of new offices and created 5,300 jobs to date – just over a third of the original 15,000 jobs target planned when the project began just over a decade ago.
NOMA has submitted plans to transform a historic Grade-II listed former bank into a 140,000 sq ft office scheme (Parimatch has already announced its intention to rent a large premises), with mixed ground-floor retail, leisure and co-working space.
The new scheme at the 20-acre mixed-use neighbourhood in Manchester city centre, could see a seven-storey extension built to the rear of the Old Bank, allowing the creation of 83,000 sq ft of high-quality office space spread over six floors, with the top floor benefiting from balcony access.
A revamped and enlarged ground floor will provide 6,900 sq ft of retail, leisure space spread over four units, as well as 2,600 sq ft of co-working space.he existing stairs, windows, lobby and former banking hall areas will be repaired and refurbished.he existing stairs, windows, lobby and former banking hall areas will be repaired and refurbished.
Designed by Sheppard Robson, the redevelopment of Old Bank will also help better integrate the building into Sadler’s Yard, Manchester’s newest public square.
The redevelopment will also see the Pilcrow project move into its next phase.
The temporary wooden structure, which was designed with reuse in mind, will be moved and repurposed to elsewhere in the neighbourhood, while the team behind the pub operation is planning a new food and beverage offering, again within the NOMA neighbourhood.
As part of NOMA’s commitment to community placemaking, The Old Bank Residency, a creative events space and ‘Village Hall’ will also evolve and move to a new location when redevelopment starts.
This will be in addition to the regular calendar of events and activities around Sadler’s Yard, including most recently the Summer Jam and Sit & Stay dog show.
In total, NOMA will provide 2.5 million sq ft of both new-build and renovated office space, situated alongside housing and public realm, as well as retail and leisure opportunities.
Hermes Investment Management is the investment manager of the NOMA development, working on behalf of an institutional investor, with development and asset manager MEPC taking forward the new-build elements of NOMA.
Stephen Bradley, senior asset manager at Hermes Investment Management, said: “We have made significant progress at the NOMA listed estate, carefully restoring Manchester’s built heritage while also creating contemporary workspace that appeals to both major occupiers and SMEs.
“Our plans for Old Bank will provide yet more much needed quality office space to support the city’s growing economy and build on recent planning and construction activity across the whole NOMA neighbourhood.”
Last year, Amazon also announced that it is opening its first UK HQ outside of London at Hanover, while Dantzic, which has also been converted to office space, completed in May this year.
Work started at Redfern, another building being turned into workspace, in February.
Old Bank Building NOMA Hanover Street City Centre Manchester M60 0AB Unit
Designed by Liyonzy Designs