Defence Online

Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’ controversial plans to create a £200m scheme rising up to 31 storeys high in Manchester city centre could soon face another obstacle after a national charity lodged an urgent bid to secure listed status for one of the existing buildings on the site.The Twentieth Century Society, which seeks to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards, has submitted an urgent application to Historic England to have the Manchester Reform Synagogue listed. The synagogue, which was built in 1953, is one of several buildings that would need to be demolished to make way for the St Michael’s scheme on Jackson’s Row.The St Michael’s Partnership is aiming to redevelop the area by creating a new five-star hotel, apartments, grade A office space, and retail and leisure space. The proposed 700,000 sq ft St Michael’s development is focused around plans to construct the 31-storey Number One St Michael’s and the 21-storey Number Two St Michael’s.The Twentieth Century Society adviser Tess Pinto described the Manchester United legends’ plans as “shocking”.The society added that the proposed scheme would also require the demolition of another fine 20th century building, the 1937 Bootle Street Police Station, and the Sir Ralph Abercromby Victorian pub.The listing process is designed to highlight a building’s special architectural and historic interest, and bring it under the consideration of the planning system, so that it can be protected for future generations. A listed status means that developers must apply for listed building consent in order to carry out any changes to the property that might affect its special interest, and would make it much more difficult to demolish the building.Jackson’s Row is located in the heart of the city and directly borders a conservation area containing numerous listed buildings of national importance. These include the Central Library and the Town Hall Extension, two Grade II*-listed 1930s buildings by E Vincent Harris, and the grade I-listed neo-gothic 1877 Manchester Town Hall.The synagogue was designed by architects Eric Levy and Peter Cummings, who were also members of the congregation, following the bombing of their former place of worship. The building is of particular historic interest as the first new post-war building to be constructed in the city after World War II, funded by war reparations.Considering the budget and the early date, the society said that the quality of construction and materials are notably high. The synagogue is very intact internally, and notable for containing what the Twentieth Century Society understands to be some of the earliest examples of figurative stained glass in a Jewish place of worship, since prior to the 1950s the portrayal of people in synagogue artwork was widely considered taboo.