The former United Footwear on Oldham Street, the unit next door to the Castle Hotel, has been derelict for years now ever since the old owners decided to sell up and move on. Back in the day, the shop was one of those Northern Quarter oddities, a relic hanging on from the days when the NQ was filled with textile warehouses and shops stuck in the 70s.
With the unit being left empty for so long, and the subsequent fire, demolition and redevelopment of the theatre next door, the site is ripe for a bit of attention, and thus developer Jadebricks has brought forward plans for a 117-bedroom hotel on the spot.
To be known as Larard’s Still, the hotel will see the historic frontage of the building retained, with the buildings behind being extended upwards with the tallest element being 9 storeys (plus the ground floor).
By using and building upon the existing building, the developer says that the scheme would make a “significant contribution to Manchester’s ambition to be a zero-carbon city by 2038”.
Consultation on the project is now open, with plans also set to include two new commercial units on Warwick and Spear Street, and using high-quality materials that complement the retained buildings, the surrounding streetscape and other buildings in the area.
The scheme is to be designed by SimpsonHaugh Architects, and the aparthotel will be managed by Accor under its Adagio brand once complete.
