Two of Manchester’s biggest firms have signed up to be anchor tenants of the £400m landmark St Michael’s development spearheaded by former footballer Gary Neville.
Pinsent Masons and Hill Dickinson have signed deals for 26,842 sq ft and 18,192 sq ft respectively in the first phase of the city centre rebuild and are expected to move their entire Manchester staff in 2025.
The two-phase development is being brought to market by former Manchester United and England footballer Neville (pictured), whose company Relentless Developments is behind the scheme.
It promises to transform an underused area of the city into a destination for business and leisure, and includes a 41-storey tower which will be home to a five-star hotel and 217 apartments.
Pinsent Masons will move its Manchester team of 261 people to new offices and aims to cement a place as one of the leading firms in the region.
Manchester office head Neil Black said: ‘Manchester is a vital hub for domestic UK and cross border investment. The north west attracts leading private equity houses and venture capital funds and is the home of a number of PLCs and large scale corporates making Manchester a leading UK city and critical for our firm’s domestic and multinational presence.
‘This combined with Manchester’s rich and diverse culture, promoted by global brands such as Manchester City and Manchester United football clubs, investor interest and the resulting demand for legal services is evident. Moving into St Michael’s is an exciting move for Pinsent Masons – one which demonstrates our commitment to the north west.’
Hill Dickinson will be on the top floor of the nine-storey office building which is being constructed in phase one. The site incorporates the former Manchester City Police headquarters with restaurant brand Chatto Matte occupying the rooftop terrace.
Operations director Keith Feeny said: ‘Our decision to invest in St Michael’s represents our commitment to the continued growth of Hill Dickinson, our commitment to the wider cultural investment in Manchester as a city and a real desire to improve the sustainability of our operations. We believe this project will help us deliver on all three.’
Neville, who is also a football pundit, said the scheme has been 15 years in the making and will be the most sustainable commercial space in Manchester.
He added: ‘We’ve worked so hard to create a development that is distinctive in both its imaginative design and heritage as well as its location connecting the city’s business district with the historic civic quarter.’
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