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Plans submitted for glitzy new 20-storey Hilton hotel in Manchester city centre

Motto by Hilton Manchester could be set to open doors in 2023.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 26th December 2022

Plans to build a second Hilton hotel site in Manchester city centre have now been formally submitted by developers.

The city centre‘s ever-changing skyline could be set to see another new addition in 2023, as plans for to build a brand-new 20-storey hotel inside a 112m-tall tower on Great Ancoats Street have been formally submitted to Manchester City Council by developers – and if they are accepted, the glitzy new premises would be operated under Hilton’s Motto brand. 

The 154-bedroom hotel would be the first Motto hotel in the UK – with sites currently already in New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and in Rotterdam in the Netherlands too.

Plans for the new hotel premises have been formally submitted to the Council this week by architects SimpsonHaugh and planning consultants Deloitte after a consultation was held last month.

Artist impression image of what Motto by Hilton on Great Ancoats Street could look like / Credit: SimpsonHaugh

Aside from the hotel itself, planning documents show that there’s also a variety of other leisure facilities lined-up alongside.

Some of these facilites include a cafe and bar, several conference rooms, a state-of-the-art gym space, plenty of cycle storage, and a raft of other public realm works too – with some of the improvements to set to include landscaping and “narrowing of the crossing across Laystall Street”, which is the side road that the hotel itself will be situated on.

Architects SimpsonHaugh said Great Ancoats Street is “an ideal location for a new hotel” in a statement as the plans were submitted, the MEN reports.

An example of what a Motto by Hilton hotel looks like in Atlanta / Credit: Hilton Hotels

“As a result of the rapid pace of transformation of Piccadilly, Ancoats, and New Islington in recent years, the number of people visiting this part of the city has been increasing year-on-year,” the statement continued.

“This is anticipated to continue thanks to further planned developments in East Manchester, such as the opening of the Co-op Live Arena at the Etihad Campus, as well as attractions such as The Factory and the expanded AO Arena [and] this success has created a sustained demand for hotel accommodation, which is currently underserved in this part of the city centre.

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“Known around the world for its high-quality, well managed hotels, Motto by Hilton will help to meet this demand through the provision of affordable, yet stylish accommodation.” 

If the plans are accepted, Motto by Hilton Manchester could be set to open doors in 2023.

Featured Image – SimpsonHaugh

News

More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson 104 counterfeit Labubus have been seized

More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.

The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.

The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.

The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).

Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.

Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.

What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds

They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.

Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.

“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.

“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”

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Featured image: Oldham Council

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Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.

Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.

Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.

Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.

First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.

The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)

Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.

The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times. 

Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road. 

Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained. 

As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)

These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.

The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.

“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.

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“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”

You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.

Featured Image – Pix4Free

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