Manchester’s Building Boom: Balancing Heritage and Development

Introduction

Manchester is changing. Fast. The cranes are back, the scaffolding is up, and the skyline is morphing into something new — something bold. But as glass towers rise and old streets vanish, we’re left asking: what are we building, and what are we losing?

The Rise of the New Manchester

Walk through Deansgate or Ancoats and you’ll see it — the relentless march of development. Luxury flats, co-working spaces, boutique hotels. The city is being reimagined, repackaged, and sold. In Castlefield, the canals still glisten, but the warehouses are now lofts. In Salford Quays, the industrial past has been scrubbed clean to make way for MediaCity’s polished façade.

There’s no denying the energy. Manchester is booming. But beneath the surface, there’s a quiet unease. Are we preserving the soul of the city, or are we trading it for steel and glass?

Heritage on the Edge

Manchester’s heritage isn’t just bricks and mortar — it’s identity. The mills, the red-brick terraces, the forgotten cinemas. They tell stories of industry, resilience, and community. But heritage doesn’t always fit neatly into a developer’s spreadsheet.

Too often, we see historic buildings earmarked for demolition, their value reduced to the footprint they occupy. Conservation areas become battlegrounds. Listed buildings are left to decay, their restoration deemed too costly, too inconvenient.

At Veritas Surveying, we’ve stood in the middle of these tensions — advising, assessing, and sometimes defending the buildings that others would rather forget.

Planning, Politics, and Pressure

Planning in Manchester is a complex dance. Developers push for height, volume, and speed. Planners juggle policy, public interest, and political pressure. And somewhere in the middle sits heritage — often voiceless, often vulnerable.

Working with listed buildings or in conservation zones means navigating a maze of regulations. Heritage impact assessments, structural surveys, community consultations — they’re not just paperwork. They’re the tools we use to protect what matters.

Our surveying services help clients understand these challenges and find solutions that respect both progress and preservation.

Stories from the City

Ancoats: From Mill to Modernity

We worked on a mill conversion in Ancoats — a hulking red-brick relic that had seen better days. The developer wanted flats. The planners wanted heritage. We found a way to honour both. The result? A building that breathes history but lives in the present.

Castlefield: A Warehouse Reborn

In Castlefield, a listed warehouse was on the brink. Structural issues, planning disputes, mounting costs. We stepped in to assist with the production of a development appraisal, helping to navigate the planning process and restore the building’s future.

Salford Quays: Heritage in the Shadows

At Salford Quays, the pace of development is dizzying. We have been involved in a number of disputes for outstanding monies in this area. Back in the day, it's likely that outstanding monies would have been chased by other means! Now it's a more civil type of affair with adjudication or litigation being used to resolve disputes in lieu of gangland warfare.

The Cost of Losing Character

When heritage is sidelined, cities lose more than buildings — they lose memory. They lose texture. They become generic. Manchester deserves better. It deserves development that listens, that learns, that respects.

We’re not anti-progress. We’re pro-context. We believe that new buildings should speak to their surroundings, not shout over them. That regeneration should include restoration. That the future should have roots.

Conclusion

Manchester’s building boom is a chance to redefine the city. But let’s not forget what made it great. Let’s build with care, with conscience, and with a sense of place.

At Veritas Surveying, we’re here to help. Whether you’re developing, restoring, have a dispute, or just trying to do the right thing, we offer the expertise and insight to guide you.

Get in touch to talk about your project, your building, dispute or your vision for Manchester: 

www.veritassurveying.co.uk/contact