The Victorian Society objects to plans to demolish historic carriage showrooms in Manchester

The Victorian Society is urging the public to object to plans to demolish Reedham House, a grade II listed part of a historic carriage works in Garden Lane, Manchester and replace it with a 14 storey block.

Both would harm the character and appearance of the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Area in which it is located as well as the adjoining Grade II listed buildings to the rear which would remain. The Society’s objection letter can be viewed here http://bit.ly/3wVkDn3

The listing for the site was updated in 2020 by Historic England, the Government’s heritage adviser. This review excluded later additions but retained Reedham House in the listing.This clearly indicates the continued significant contribution Reedham House makes towards the listed carriage works. It should not be demolished.

It is imperative that Manchester protects its listed buildings and conservation areas, which make such areas unique. The proposed 14-storey block would be a wholly inappropriate height. It would overshadow listed and unlisted buildings in a conservation area largely characterised by 4 and 5 storey buildings.This would be completely at odds with centuries of the city’s development, and have an adverse effect on a number of key viewpoints within the conservation area – especially the disrupted view along King Street West.

The proposed block would cause significant harm to the Conservation Area, and set a further precedent for tall buildings which could end up obliterating the character of the area.

Reedham House is a handsome red brick building with good classical details. It was constructed in 1849 with sympathetic alterations in 1926 and later bomb damage repair. Initially used as a showroom for the carriage works, the building was later used for office and retail space. Despite later alterations, the showrooms still demonstrate the development of the site from its original use as a place for manufacturing and the sale of carriages. The carriage works and showrooms are both intrinsically linked, and the demolition of the showrooms would lessen the impact of the site as a whole.

Guy Newton, Victorian Society Conservation Adviser said “The current proposal would lead to the loss of historical evidence of this part of Manchester’s development and cause significant harm to the Parsonage Gardens Conservation Area. Granting planning permission for this proposal would set a dangerous precedent of disregarding the significance and characteristics of conservation areas despite their status as designated heritage assets, and the protection which this should afford them.

The Victorian Society has to be statutorily consulted on any planning application which involves the partial or complete demolition of a listed Victorian or Edwardian building.

We help tackle the climate emergency by campaigning for the sensitive reuse of historic buildings to generate much lower carbon emissions than demolition and rebuild.

09/02/2023