A major Manchester landmark is set to be transformed after plans for a £294 million revamp were given the go-ahead by city council planners.

The Great Northern Warehouse, a Grade-II listed building constructed in the 1890s, is set for a massive transformation that will see the interior turned into 30,000 sq ft of new office space, with design images showing that the use of internal glass partition walls is a key feature of the design.

An extension to the warehouse known as the Leisure Box, which was built in the 1990s and currently houses a cinema, is to be demolished along with its car park and replaced by 750 apartments, in three towers of 16, 27 and 34 storeys in height respectively. Images show the use of glass balustrades and partitions will be a feature of the interiors of these buildings too.  

Co-developer Trilogy Property highlighted the use of glass to make the new development enjoy as much natural illumination as possible, stating: “A new glazed atrium will be sensitively formed in the centre of the warehouse to bring natural light into floors.” All this will help “sensitively” repurpose the building within the constraints of its listing. 

Other elements of the design will include a pedestrian walkway, called Dean Street, connecting the warehouse with Deansgate Terrace. Great Northern Square will be made a lot greener with new trees and grassed areas, with construction of the scheme set to start next year and be finished in 2029. 

The project has been designed by SimpsonHaugh Architects, who have been behind some of the most notable buildings in Manchester, especially its highest skyscrapers such as the Deansgate Square cluster.

It is also behind a number of other developments close to the Great Northern Warehouse, including the 554 ft Beetham Tower, plus the Viadux Tower that is currently under construction.