Gary Neville’s £200m Manchester scheme to scrap boutique hotel

The Manchester United legend’s ambitious St Michael’s project will no longer include a 29-key boutique hotel under revised plans, but will still feature a 191-room five-star hotel.

Changes are being proposed to one of the UK’s most eye-catching regeneration schemes.

Bootle Street Police Station earmarked for offices

Jackson’s Row Developments, which is led by footballer-turned-pundit Gary Neville, has submitted a fresh planning application to Manchester City Council requesting changes to its previously consented St Michael’s scheme. The developer is aiming to transform a 1.4-acre site that includes the former Bootle Street Police Station and the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub, bounded by Jackson’s Row, Bootle Street and Southmill Street, near the grade I-listed Manchester Town Hall.

The approved plan envisaged that the police station would be converted into a 29-key boutique hotel spanning 22,217 sq ft. However, the new proposal involves turning the same building into offices instead.

“The reason for changing the hotel to offices was twofold,” explained a revisions statement by project manager Zerum Consulting, dated September 2021. “Firstly, securing an operator for a boutique hotel post-pandemic is more challenging than previously, making a hotel use less attractive, and secondly, continued demand for offices, as well as the opportunity provided by the former police station in providing a more prestigious entrance and address, make the prospect of extending the office use into the former police station more attractive.“

Manchester’s new five-star hotel

Despite scrapping the boutique hotel in the police station, St Michael’s would still retain a significant hospitality element, with the creation of a 191-key five-star hotel in the lower levels of a new 40-storey skyscraper. There would also be 235,000 sq ft of offices, 181 luxury apartments, restaurants, a pub and new public space.

Work to demolish the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub kitchen and make good remaining external walls – phase one of the scheme – was completed in April 2021. The statement added that the development team is now progressing towards starting phase two, which involves constructing the office building and converting the police station, subject to permission. Construction of the skyscraper containing the five-star hotel would take place in phase three, with refurbishment of the pub following in phase four.

The team behind St Michael’s

The project team involved in the scheme also includes Hodder + Partners (executive architect), SOM (architect), SOM (interior designer), Bowler James Brindley (interior designer) and Planit-IE (landscape architect). Fellow Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs was previously working with Neville to develop St Michael’s, but is no longer involved after exiting the scheme earlier this year.

Over the summer, TOPHOTELNEWS reported that global investment firm KKR had entered into a joint venture with Neville’s development company to deliver the £200 million St Michael’s scheme. Speaking at the time, Neville said: “The team has worked throughout lockdown to bring this project forward. St Michael’s has been challenging but with the support of KKR we are looking forward to delivering this exciting project in Manchester.”

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