SAVE THE HOTSPUR PRESS

Our regeneration plans were approved by Manchester City Council in May 2024, however, they are currently at risk. Take action today to prevent The Hotspur Press being condemned.

PLEASE SIGN OUR SUPPORT LETTER

PLEASE SIGN OUR SUPPORT LETTER

Dear Sir, 

I would like to join hundreds of other Manchester residents urging you to reject the proposed listing of The Hotspur Press. I ask you to uphold the 2019 decision not to list the building and make this decision quickly given the current state of the building.

Rather than preserving the Hotspur Press’s heritage, adding it to the statutory list creates the real risk of the building being condemned given its very poor current condition and the delay and uncertainty in obtaining listed building consent.

I ask you recognise that the current proposals, envisioned by the award-winning architect Stephen Hodder MBE will save much of the building and bring it back to a viable economic life. Under the plans, public realm improvements and connectivity will be improved; something the local community, through the two local residents associations Chorlton Mill and Macintosh Village, called upon by supporting the original application.

Without being listed, the identity of the mill will be preserved through Hodder’s conservation-based scheme, which retains of much of the existing brick exterior, iconic signage, and many of the historic features.

I understand Manner is prepared to commence work on the site in the coming months, and listing or delaying the decision on the listing application jeopardises this progress and the growth-focussed benefits it would deliver for the community.

Yours sincerely,  

On 30th May 2024, our plans (reference: 138805/FO/2023) to redevelop The Hotspur Press were approved by Manchester City Council’s Planning Committee. 

The plans will:

  • Restore the historic façade of this iconic building.

  • Preserve the iconic Percy Brothers signage.

  • Deliver 595 student rooms, including 60 rooms for affordable rent.

  • Create a new public square for the community.

  • Provide new commercial space for Manchester businesses, in turn creating local jobs.

However, following the approval of our regeneration plans, an anonymous individual made an application for the building to be listed, despite a similar request being refused by Historic England and DCMS in 2019.

This application is causing delay and uncertainty, while this fragile building continues to deteriorate.

We need your help to prevent this listing happening and call upon DCMS to make a decision quickly so we can secure the future of The Hotspur Press by starting the regeneration works. Sign our letter of support today!

Why Shouldn’t The Hotspur Press Be Listed?

Rather than preserving this building, a listing creates the real risk of it being condemned given its very poor current condition. Any listing will mean that a new planning application will have to be submitted, which will delay the scheme by 12-24 months, or potentially forever as there will be a very high risk that such approval does not happen. The rate of deterioration as assessed by heritage advisors is rapid and extensive delays place the survival of the building in jeopardy.

To this end, Manner will robustly object to the listing via a comprehensive evidence base compiled by its expert advisors.

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