Major redevelopment plans for the building which houses the Manchester city centre branch of Debenhams have now been revealed.
In the newly-released plans published online, the Rylands Building on Market Street is to become new shopping arcade on the ground floor, while the bulk of the building will be transformed into offices.
Plans also include a proposed new four-storey rooftop extension.
The proposals have been published by the building’s owners AM Alpha – who say the extension is necessary “to make the proposals viable and financially support the required repairs and restoration of the building” – and a formal planning application is to be submitted in September.
AM Alpha purchased the building in 2017.
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The Art Deco landmark’s ground floor layout will be returned to its original 1930s configuration, by dividing it up into a number of smaller retail units, and the basement will house shopping, dining and leisure facilities that will all be accessed via a new escalator entrance on Tib Street.
The rest of the Grade II listed building is to be turned into offices, along with the additional four extra floors at the rear which will “bring life back to long underused parts of the building, particularly to the long neglected fifth, sixth and seventh floors”.
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AM Alpha
Martin Lemke – Managing Director of AM Alpha – said: “Since we bought the building we had the vision to transform this iconic landmark into a vibrant, fully occupied building with a long-term future.
“Now, we have set out our vision in the proposed plans.
“Once plans are approved, we can deliver a unique office environment at a pivotal gateway location between Manchester’s central core, Northern Quarter and Piccadilly which will attract larger independent office occupiers to Manchester’s city centre, promote job creation and support post-COVID economic bounce back.”
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Architect Jeffrey Bell added that: “The design approach for The Rylands Building seeks to balance a high degree of restoration of the building to its original appearance and to acknowledge and clearly reveal relevant changes that have affected the building during its life.
“The overall aim is to establish a genuine sense of place with the site’s valuable heritage asset at its heart.”
AM Alpha
Debenhams confirmed earlier in April that it would be collapsing into administration.
The struggling retailer announced 2,500 job losses this week, due to damaging effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and these redundancies follow wave of store closures since the beginning of the year, which saw nineteen branches shut in January and the confirmation that a further 28 would follow.
At least 15 of those branches have closed since then.
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The Manchester city centre branch has never been named as being at risk of closure, and the retailer stated yesterday that no new store closures were planned.
You can view the published plans in full and participate in the public consultation via the Future Rylands website here.
News
Dame Sarah Storey is going on Strictly Come Dancing 2026
Danny Jones
Record-breaking local athlete and Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey, is set to become the latest to join the Strictly Come Dancing annals.
With the Strictly cast for 2026 steadily being unveiled, we always keep an eye out for the Greater Manchester names in particular.
That being said, we’re buzzing to see the hugely successful Stockport swimmer turned cyclist will be swapping her Team GB kit for sparkly, sequined ballroom gowns and an entirely different type of sport and fitness.
Announced on Friday, 17 July, Storey is the seventh celebrity to be confirmed for the 24th series of the hit BBC show and dancing competition.
Having represented her country not only at nine Paralympics but across two different disciplines after switching to the racing bike back in 2005, she’s our most decorated competitor in the entire history of the Games with 30 medals to her name – 19 of which are gold.
Absolute GOAT levels.
But now the Cheadle Hulme-born is once again set to show her versatility to see how she fares on the dance floor later this year.
Commenting ahead of the new-look season which starts this September, the 48-year-old said: “Embarking on a new challenge so soon after stepping down as an athlete is hugely exciting.
“I have always loved watching Strictly, and my daughter Louisa is a very talented dancer, so to be able to learn from the best and hopefully understand even more about her world is incredibly motivating! I can’t wait to get started!”
This latest sea-change comes not long after the local legend and sporting icon officially announced her retirement from professional sport more than three decades on from first bursting onto the scene.
Thank you for taking the time to leave all the incredible messages. It’s so wonderful to read them and thank you for being the greatest supporters 🥰
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) July 9, 2026
What a career she’s had; it obviously didn’t take her long to get tired of sitting still for once, either.
She will be joined by the likes of Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer and Will Best.
In case you missed it, the upcoming edition of Strictly Come Dancing will be the first since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and pro dancer Johannes Radebe stepping in as replacements.
In other starring Stockport news, we’ve finally got more info on the final season of a popular programme filmed in the area. Find out more down below.
Two more people arrested as investigation into Dovestone Reservoir moorland fire continues
Emily Sergeant
Two more people have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into the devastating moorland fire near Dovestone Reservoir.
Yesterday (16 July 2026), a 19-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of arson and has been bailed pending further police enquiries, before a man in his 20s has today (17 July) been arrested on suspicion of arson, and remains in custody for questioning.
These follow the arrest and subsequent charging of 20-year-old Shania Care-Slede, from Hyde.
Care-Slede has been charged with aggravated arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and dangerous driving, and was remanded in custody before appearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court this past Tuesday (14 July).
After the blaze broke out this past Saturday evening (11 July) at the popular beauty spot in Oldham, prompting a major multi-agency response, fire crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) have been working around the clock in challenging conditions to contain the fire and prevent further spread across the moorland.
Specialist wildfire resources, command support units, drone technology, and partner agencies have also been deployed as operations continue across multiple sectors of the incident.
To make matters worse, ‘strong’ winds carried smoke across parts of Greater Manchester – with reports of haze and the smell of burning being received from areas well beyond the immediate vicinity of the fire.
With three major arrests having already now been made, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its officers are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry and are seeking to identify any other individuals who may have been involved.
“This investigation has been progressing at pace, we are nearly a week on and the fire at Dovestones is still ongoing, and it has had devastating effects it has had on the Reservoir,” commented Detective Inspector Andrew Day, of GMP’s Oldham division said.
“As this incident continues, officers would like to thank all emergency service partners for their support and dedication.
“In particular, our colleagues at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, whose firefighters have spent countless hours tackling the fire in demanding conditions.”
The Manc -
13th August 2020 
