Plans have been revealed for a new 18-storey tower in Manchester city centre, complete with a rooftop pool.
The Alberton will be the latest development from Bruntwood, who want to build a ‘revolutionary’ workspace and leisure destination.
The £93m development would replace the existing Alberton House on St Mary’s Parsonage, the site of the first Manchester Gas Works.
Plans include a rooftop holistic wellness centre, which would house the UK’s highest workspace pool as well as a hydrotherapy vitality pool, hot and cold treatment rooms, a fitness studio, a yoga terrace, a physio room, and shower and changing facilities.
On the 17th floor, there’ll be a panoramic roof terrace with views across the city, and a food and beverage outlet.
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The Alberton. Credit: Supplied
The Alberton would be the flagship building for Bruntwood Works’ Pioneer programme
It’s being designed by EPR Architects, who are creating a ‘modern reimagining’ of Manchester’s Victorian cotton mills.
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The work on the site is set to begin later this year ahead of an early 2025 completion.
Taking place nearby, also within Manchester City Council’s St. Mary’s Parsonage Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF), is the redevelopment of the grade-II listed Kendal Milne building, Bruntwood’s Blackfriars House, and King’s House, which is currently undergoing redevelopment.
The Alberton’s 17th floor roof terrace. Credit: Supplied
The plans propose the demolition of the existing Alberton House, which has been identified as an energy-inefficient 1960s office building.
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When complete, The Alberton’s ground floor will connect the Trinity Bridge walkway and Motor Square, with a hospitality offering across the entire floor including a restaurant, bar and coffee shop.
Completing the plans are a screening and cinema room, a flexible event space, a cycle hub with showers, and Brompton bike lockers, as well as the 17th floor roof terrace.
Ciara Keeling, CEO of Bruntwood Works, commented: “The Alberton is going to revolutionise workspace, not just in Manchester but across the UK. It is a development that supports integrating wellbeing into customer’s daily lives to encourage a positive work/life balance.
“This is evident in our plans to create a holistic wellbeing centre that will act as the focal point of the entire development, including a rooftop pool with panoramic views of the city.
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“We understand that the way we work and live has changed for the long-term, so we wanted to give our customers a space that suits their changing needs and helps to promote a working environment where they can thrive professionally, but also personally.
“Our Pioneer programme has always recognised the need to incorporate best-in-class wellness and amenity credentials within the workspace, and The Alberton will offer the pinnacle of this. We are proud to be able to deliver a world-class workplace and leisure destination to Manchester as it continues to compete on a global stage for inward investment.”
Featured image: Supplied
Property
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester named ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home
Emily Sergeant
Two towns that are around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home.
It’s all according to the latest analysis by consumer choice company Which?, and Lloyds bank.
Getting onto the property ladder remains a struggle for many first time buyers, especially following increases to mortgage rates since the start of spring – but where you buy can make a huge difference, according to Which?, and now new research from Lloyds has revealed the cheapest areas to buy your first home.
Some of the locations on the list are even averaging less than half the price of homes in London, proving the North West is where you want to be to get your foot on the property ladder.
According to research from Lloyds Bank, the most affordable place for first time buyers in the UK is East Ayrshire in Scotland.
But when it comes to the North West, Blackpool is not only the most affordable area in region – ranking at number three on the list – but it’s also the cheapest in the whole of England too, beating Kingston upon Hull by just a few hundred pounds.
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
The average first time buyer price in Blackpool is £150,780, according to the research.
Following Blackpool, ranking at sixth place on the list, is Hyndburn in Lancashire – which is actually a local Government district with borough status, that encompasses towns like Accrington and Great Harwood – with an average first time buyer price of £155,911.
Along with the most affordable areas for first time buyers, Lloyds has also calculated the areas with the youngest first time buyers too – and the North West also takes that title,
In the UK as a whole, the average age of a first time buyer is now 32, however buyers in some parts of the country are getting onto the property ladder much earlier than others, particularly in more affordable areas outside major cities.
The area with the youngest first time buyers is the Ribble Valley, according to Lloyds.
The largest town in this Lancashire district is Clitheroe, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and in less than 40 minutes by car, you can get to Preston, Blackburn, and Burnley, so it’s a pretty well-connected place for also being so affordable.
Featured Image – Stuart Wilding (Geograph)
Property
Four North West towns named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 ‘property hotspots’ by the sea for 2026.
You may already be familiar that, every year, leading property listing website Rightmove takes a look at all the cities, towns, and residential areas across the UK where house prices saw a significant hike on average last year, and puts together a top 10 list.
The ‘hotspot’ table is made up of a variety of locations where prices rose the most, when compared to the end of the year prior.
But now, they’ve done a special seaside version too.
Of course, “Manchester‘s got everything except a beach” so it won’t come as a surprise that no Greater Manchester towns are featured on this list, but that isn’t the case for the rest of the North West though, as Merseyside and Cumbria are well represented.
In fact, it’s actually the North West that’s taken the top spot, as Bootle in Merseyside has been named Britain’s top seaside house price hotspot, with asking prices having risen 11% in the past year alone, and that’s even with an average house price still way below the national average at £141,680.
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026 / Credit: James Feaver | Gabe Fender (via Unsplash)
Second place can be found just 10 minutes further up the coast in the town of Crosby, where the average asking prices are up 9% compared to last year, reaching £330,900.
Wallasey comes in at sixth place on the list, with house prices rising 7% to £200,753 on average, while Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria ranks at number nine with house prices increasing 6% to an average of £185,169.
Rightmove says the data shows that coastal living remains ‘relatively accessible’ in several areas, with nine of the top 10 fastest growing seaside locations still priced below the national average, and across more than 100 coastal areas analysed, more than 80% also have an average asking price below the national average (£378,304).
“The fastest-growing seaside markets this year show that demand for coastal homes in many areas remains resilient, even as overall price growth across the UK stays more modest,” commented Colleen Babcock, who is Rightmove’s property expert.
“While some locations are seeing strong price increases, there are still many areas where living by the sea is more affordable, giving buyers a wider range of options depending on their budget.”
Daisy Jackson -
14th July 2022 
