OVERVIEW I HOMES I OFFICES I OPEN SPACE I COMMUNITY I MOVING AROUND I GET IN TOUCH
PRE-APPLICATION CONSULTATION: 2 & 3 ANGEL SQUARE
Updated Proposals for 2 & 3 Angel Square
A planning application will shortly be submitted to Manchester City Council but, ahead of this, we ran a pre-application consultation to gather the views of local people.
To find out more about these updated plans, please see the ‘Get in touch’ section of the ‘Have your say’ page of this website.
The Proposals
2 & 3 Angel Square: Introducing the updated proposals for two new office buildings at NOMA.
You can download a postcard with further information about the proposals here.
We originally received planning approval for 2 & 3 Angel Square in 2015. Since then, office occupier demands have evolved. We are altering the design of the proposed buildings to bring them fully up-to-date; although the new designs are very similar to those approved in 2015.
The two new, landmark buildings will be for brand-new office space on currently vacant plots (currently open car parks) at the heart of NOMA.
Alongside the new homes, offices and open space these two buildings will help build on our already vibrant neighbourhood.
Location
The completion of two new office buildings next to the iconic One Angel Square will create a new commercial hub focused around the new public realm at Angel Square. They will also complement the Angel Gardens residential development, completing this phase of architecturally leading new developments on this previously vacant land.
Visit the Overview page for more information on the wider NOMA masterplan.
2 Angel Square: In a nutshell…
2 Angel Square – the 2019 proposals
- Lower and upper ground floor, with 10 storeys above.
- Around 16,000 sq m of office space and 500 sq m of ground floor commercial space, possibly for a food outlet or similar.
- Approximately 200 cycle spaces and 3 electric vehicle charging points.
- Approximately 20 parking spaces for office users.
- BREEAM target: Excellent.
Changes from the 2015 scheme…
- Removal of the basement level.
- Inclusion of an additional storey above ground level.
- Inclusion of a business lounge to lower ground floor.
- Revision of the design of the vehicular access from Angel Square.
- Reduction of the number of car parking spaces.
- Improvement of the amount of cycle storage and inclusion of shower facilities.
- Removal of the atrium and inclusion of the space within the building.
- Relocation of the roof terrace to the ninth floor.
- Increase in size of the roof terrace.
- Alteration to the roof line.
- Alteration to the appearance of the building to include two storey concrete framed windows.
Indicative image of 2 Angel Square.
2 Angel Square – Indicative view from Angel Street, the north-east elevation.
3 Angel Square: In a nutshell…
3 Angel Square – the 2019 proposals
- Lower and upper ground floor, with 11 storeys above.
- Around 23,500 sq m of office space and 1,200 sq m of space, possibly for a food outlet or similar.
- Approximately 300 cycle spaces and 3 electric vehicle charging points.
- Approximately 30 parking spaces for office users.
- BREEAM target: Excellent.
Changes from the 2015 scheme…
- Removal of the basement level.
- Inclusion of a business lounge to lower ground floor.
- Alterations to the design of the front of the building to allow for an improved public realm design.
- Reduction of the number of car parking spaces.
- Improvement of the amount of cycle storage and inclusion of shower facilities.
- Removal of internal escalators.
- Inclusion of a mezzanine for food outlets or similar within the lower levels of the building.
- Removal of the atrium element of the 2015 design.
- Increase in size of the roof terrace.
- Alterations to position of the front of the building.
- Removal of a redundant fire escape.
- Alteration to the roof line.
- Alteration to the appearance of the building to include two storey aluminium framed windows.
Indicative image of 3 Angel Square.
3 Angel Square – An indicative view of the south-west elevation.
Landscaping proposals
The landscaping proposals are being designed to complement the existing public realm in Angel Square and also to tie in with the public realm that will surround the Angel Gardens development.
All of the spaces around the buildings will be available to the public including the central space, grand staircase and public walkways and will be made up of a good balance of hard landscaping and green areas.
Although the public space will be owned and fully maintained by NOMA, the spaces will be available for members of the public to use in the same way as Sadler’s Yard is open to the public.
This is still a draft plan – the landscaping plans are still undergoing development. Material colours and other elements of the design are not completely accurate on this draft plan however, it gives a sense of the hard and soft landscaping.
Key Issues
Responding to demand
NOMA is already home to several office buildings. We have recently received planning permission for another brand-new office building, 4 Angel Square.
You can read more about the office provision at NOMA on our Offices page.
Although there is existing office space at NOMA, there is still a demand for further provision. The refurbishment of buildings within the listed estate, where office provision has already been created, has acted as a catalyst for demand elsewhere at NOMA.
There is strong demand for office space in the city more widely too, particularly for modern and sustainable workspaces, but the building of top-quality new offices is not keeping pace with this demand. NOMA is ideally placed to cater for this demand for new and flexible workspaces.
Understanding and celebrating NOMA’s history
The NOMA site is in a historic area of Manchester. This particular area was previously home to Shudehill Mill, Manchester’s first steam powered mill and archaeological investigations have been undertaken to learn about and record the site.
The landscaping proposals include for digital and physical interpretations of the archaeology and history of the area as part of the development of 2 & 3 Angel Square and Angel Gardens. These plans have been developed in collaboration with Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service and Historic England and are known as the Shudehill Mill Interpretation Package.
This includes a unique open-air trail presenting the story of the mill, highlighting the original mill outline and incorporating dated stones and descriptive text and will be delivered in two phases as Angel Gardens and 2 & 3 Angel Square developments are brought forward. The interpretation also includes the original engine bevel which sat in the heart of the mill and turned the shafts which ran the machinery. This will be embedded into the landscaping as a focal point for meeting/gathering.
Interpretation nodes will be incorporated which include digital view finders telling the storey of various key workers, illustrating jobs and tasks that would’ve been undertaken as part of the day-to-day running of the mill. Education materials and other resources will also be available online at ShudehillMill.com
Encouraging sustainable transport choices
NOMA benefits from excellent access to public transport for travel both within the city and further afield. A Framework Travel Plan for 2 & 3 Angel Square will be produced as part of the development process to promote sustainable transport choices such as walking and cycling.
The proposals will directly encourage these choices by including provision for cycling within the designs and improving the environment around Miller Street and Angel Street for pedestrians and cyclists.
Microclimate
Daylight/sunlight
We understand that our neighbours will be interested in the potential impact to the daylight and sunlight levels on nearby areas as a result of this development. We want to reassure our neighbours that the development has been designed to give maximum access to daylight where possible to both nearby residents and future office workers. Although, through our analyses we understand that there will be a ‘moderate’ impact on a limited number of neighbouring properties, we have taken care to minimise this impact where we are able to.
Wind
Extensive work has been undertaken to model potential wind impacts and ensure these are addressed as the designs develop, taking into consideration building form, street planning, use of materials and landscaping features. This has informed our designs as it has enabled us to propose planting and other mitigation measures in the most appropriate locations. The results of our wind reports identify that there will be a beneficial impact to the existing conditions around One Angel Square and the site of 2 & 3 Angel Square as a result of these proposals.
Managing construction work to minimise impacts on local people and traffic
Before the start of works, a Construction and Environmental Management Plan will be developed with the building contractor to address construction issues such as site access and hours of work. The Plan will also include a number of measures designed to ensure that any impact from noise, dust and vehicles is minimised.
Have your say
The two-week consultation period has now ended. Although the pre-application consultation has finished, you can still ask us any questions about the scheme, by using the methods below:
- Call our dedicated information line on 0800 032 8546. The line is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm, with an answer phone at all other times.
- Email our dedicated consultation email address info@noma-engage.com
Further information
If you have any questions, please see the Get In Touch section of the ‘Have Your Say’ webpage for ways of contacting the Engage team.