Why Manchester city centre is getting taller

Manchester is on track to become the fourth "tallest city" in Europe by 2030, a report has found.

The city currently ranks seventh in the table which is determined by the number of buildings in a city that are taller than 50m (164ft), 100m (328ft), and 150m (492ft).

If a range of approved and planned schemes go ahead, Manchester could overtake Paris and Frankfurt, with more than 200 towers over 50m tall, and 10 over 150m, Barbour ABI said.

Here we take a look at how Manchester compares with other cities, why it might be getting taller and what is planned next.

Manchester is currently seventh in the table of Europe's tallest cities with the rankings determined by the total number of buildings in a city that are taller than 50m (164ft), 100m (328ft), and 150m (492ft).

The report identifies 26 buildings in Manchester that are more than 100m tall, with 10 over 150m, up from just four over 100m in 2017.

The list is currently as follows:

1. Moscow, Russia
2. Istanbul, Turkey
3. London, UK
4. Paris, France
5. Frankfurt, Germany
6. Warsaw, Poland
7. Manchester, UK

The reason for Manchester's expanding skyline is down to a number of reasons.

Ed Griffiths, Barbour ABI's head of business and client analytics, said the "most obvious" reason for the increasing numbers of tall buildings was "the relative lower cost of land space".

Added to this, there has also been a major influx of young professionals, meaning developers can be confident of building high-rise residential units that see a strong return on investment from renters.

He said that land space also played a big factor.

"The centre of Manchester is relatively small in comparison to London (or indeed Birmingham, whom Manchester has more high-rises planned than before 2030), so there is a need to build upwards rather than outwards, attracting high-rise residential developers to the region," he added.

• CIS Tower - Completed in 1962 the CIS Tower on Miller Street was the tallest office building in the UK at the time, standing at 118m (387ft).
• City Tower - Formerly known as Sunley House and located on New York Street, the structure was completed in 1965 with a roof height of107m (351ft). The tower was significantly refurbished in 2005 -2006 as part of the Piccadilly Plaza rejuvenation.
• Beetham Tower - Completed in 2006, the Deansgate building held the title of the tallest structure in Manchester until 2018 reaching a height of 168m (551ft). The 47-storey building is mixed use, consisting of a hotel as well as apartments.
• Deansgate Square South Tower - The South Tower surpassed Beetham Tower as the tallest building in Manchester upon its completion in November 2018. Located on Owen Street it stands at 201m (659ft) tall.

Last April, plans to build the UK's tallest skyscraper outside of London, were approved for Manchester.

The 76-storey tower, planned by developer Salboy for the city centre, will stand at 246m high (807ft) and include 452 flats and a 160-bed hotel.

It follows an influx of similar projects, which has seen the city grow from just four buildings over 100 metres in 2017.

High-rise projects in the planning stage for Manchester include:

• Manchester Innovation District Sister Plot C (£162m) – a joint partnership between the University of Manchester and Bruntwood SciTech to create a flagship flexible working space with civic square
• Colloco St John's Campus (£140m) – 16-storey office building
• CIS Tower (£100m) – 30 storey office refurbishment
• Alberton House (£80m) – office and restaurant development over 18 storeys
• NXQ Building (£29m) – on Lever Street
• Astley House and Byrom House (£16m) – on Quay Street

Hotels in the pipeline include:

• Hotel Picadilly (£78m) – 34-storey hotel
• Cornbrook Hub Manchester Waters (£75m) – 24-storey including 88 apartments
• Great Ancoats Street (£15.7m) – 20-storey 154-bedroom hotel

There are three residential developments over 70 storeys also in the planning stage:

• Viadux Phase 2 (£600m) – 915 apartments in a 76-storey tower (a 2-year project starting in May 2026)
• Great Ancoats Street (£241m) – 758 apartments in a 75 storey tower (Scheduled for completion in November 2030)
• The Lighthouse (£234m) – 642 apartments in a 71 storey tower on Great Jackson Street (scheduled for completion in May 2029)

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