When you venture down Deansgate from the cathedral end of Manchester, you'll see many instantly recognisable buildings - to your left will be the Victorian Barton Arcade with its ornate balustrades and glass roof and to the right, the department store Kendals, now House of Fraser.

Continue along and you will pass the newish area called Spinningfields, with The Ivy and 20 Stories at its core, the marvellous Neo-Gothic John Rylands Library, and the imposing Beetham Tower, perhaps the architectural hallmark of Manchester's resurgence.

There is, amongst other gems, another place earmarked for developed - the Great Northern on your left.

This Grade II listed warehouse occupies a large central six acre site and is set to be transformed from its current use as cinema, retail and hospitality by Trilogy Real Estate.

Transformed to what?

Work space and 750 apartments.

It is a mightily ambitious plan, starting this year and completing in 2028. A new HV station will be built. A new road will be created. 750 flats will be delivered across 34-, 27-, and 16-storey tower blocks where the Leisure Box is presently located. 

The Victorian Warehouse itself will become office accommodation with the Odeon closing.

Robert Wolstenholme, Founder & CEO of Trilogy, said:

“A huge team has worked tirelessly and with huge passion for over 8 years to listen, design and refine to arrive at a proposed scheme we hope Manchester will proud of. There is much still to do and we will continue to work hard to bring to life what has been in our imaginations for so many years. We greatly look forward to continuing to build a community of the best of the north at the Great Northern.”

We've said this before at Veritas Surveying and will repeat it here. Manchester is an exciting, cutting edge city at the vanguard of commercial and residential development.

With 50,000 students and a growing population, there is a need for the city to constantly re-invent itself, whilst preserving its past.

Deansgate is an area that is constantly evolving - from the John Rylands Library which is only just over 100 years old, to the Beetham Tower, to 20 Stories and Spinningfields.

The Great Northern will form part of this present and Manchester's bright future.