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A planning application has been submitted to the council.
Plans for a 17-storey tower next to one of Manchester ’s most iconic pubs will be decided by the council’s planning committee. The scheme, by the McGoff Group, could see 153 apartments built on land next to the Marble Arch on Rochdale Road, based just outside the city centre.
Most of the flats would have one or two bedrooms, with seven larger homes with three bedrooms each included in the plans. There would be no ‘affordable’ housing. Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter A blueprint of the scheme has been sent to Manchester council for decision. During a consultation in November, neighbours flagged concerns about the proximity between the pub and tower.
The plans were then updated by the developer to include a 13-metre gap between the pub building and the proposed residential block. The space would be home to a ‘micro forest’ with ‘dense green planting’ between the two sites, according to planning reports. Visuals show the proposed tower building standing tall over the grade II-listed pub, which is one of Manchester’s historic drinking dens and dates back to 1888.
The Marble Arch is the last sloped-floor pub in the city, from an era when barrels of beer were rolled down to the bar, and the boozer recently featured as a film set in the landmark Channel 4 drama 'It's A Sin'. Plans by the McGoff Group to build a tower next to the Marble Arch sparked controversy when they were revealed. Marble Beers, the owners of the pub and the building, has criticised aspects of the scheme.
They said the planned tower block would 'overshadow' and 'dominate' the centuries-old pub, with the brewery also hitting out at revisions made after an initial public consultation was launched by developers. They said in March: 'A construction on this scale is entirely out of keeping and overshadows and dominates the Marble Arch.
“In our opinion, it does not conform to legislation set out in the Listed Building Act and we plan to oppose the proposal. “We do not feel that a 17-storey building placed 13 metres away from the Arch is 'backing down' from the previous proposal of a 15 storey building two metres away. ” The Marble Arch was designed by prominent Manchester architects Darbyshire and Smith in 1888 for McKenna's Brewery.
Marble Beers said an independent heritage assessment carried out in October 2025 concluded the site's openness 'makes an important contribution to the significance of the listed building, enabling a better appreciation of its historic design, height and massing and allowing it some space.
' A spokesperson for the pub added in March: 'The inclusion of a landscaped area is welcomed, but this does not offset the significant harm to the setting of the listed building that the proposal would create. ” The brewery argued the tower would 'loom over' and 'dwarf' the pub if it gets built. For its part, the McGoff Group has talked up the benefits of the scheme in planning reports submitted to the council.
They said the scheme will be a ‘well-connected neighbourhood at the heart of the extended city centre, and will form a key gateway to North Manchester as part of a revitalised urban environment along Rochdale Road. ’ A report added: 'The site presents an opportunity for higher density development and should be maximised to support Manchester’s diverse and growing population with a residential led proposal to provide a variety of apartment types.
'The site typifies the significant vacant and brownfield land associated with former industrial uses in the New Town area and is adjacent to the Grade II listed Marble Arch Inn. ' The McGoff Group said in a previous statement: 'Following our last consultation we reviewed all feedback and have addressed the two main issues; proximity to the pub and lack of green space.
“The revised plans see the new, proposed development moving significantly further away from the pub and the introduction of green space, which is rare with a city centre development. 'The concerns of the pub and a couple of local residents have been taken into consideration and hopefully the revised plans will be well received following the latest consultation.
' The area along Rochdale Road near town has changed massively in recent years, with new apartment blocks springing up at the gateway to the city centre.
Manchester City Centre Manchester Council
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