Member Article

New Royal Exchange retail plan submitted

A second planning application has been submitted by Trinistar Manchester to transform the retail and leisure space in The Royal Exchange building in the city centre.

The company says that the £1 million refurbishment plans will cover three main areas, seeking to emphasise the building’s rich heritage while enhancing the shopping offer.

The move follows an extensive feasibility study, involving consultation with stakeholders from Manchester’s civic team, occupiers and heritage specialists.

The first initiative involves cleaning the exterior of The Royal Exchange, with new lighting to enhance the building’s appearance.

The second focuses on the design of the exterior retail units, incorporating additional and improved signage zones.

The final part of the application proposes a major refurbishment of The Royal Exchange’s 19,000 sq. ft. retail arcade.

Once complete, the arcade will offer independent retailers a transformed environment located in a key strategic location.

The building has a variety of retail unit sizes between 1,000 sq. ft. up to 18,000 sq. ft.

Richard O’Boyle, Executive Director at Trinity IM said: “Following Manchester City Council’s fantastic support for our initial application we are now taking our plans to the next level by investing in the external fabric and appearance of this magnificent building.

“The initiatives will greatly enhance the profile of the building in its strategic location, right at the core of the city centre. If approved, work would commence immediately and shops will remain open during this time.”

The news follows on the approval of the first application for the northern offices in May where works have started as planned, with the main fit-out contract on schedule for completion in the first quarter 2016.

The scheme currently has commitments on three of the six floors of office spaces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .