| Albany Crown Tower | |
| Coordinates: | 53.479°N -2.234°W |
| Status: | Approved |
| Start Date: | 2027 |
| Est Completion: | Unknown |
| Building Type: | Hotel / Offices / Residential |
| Roof: | 150m (490feet) |
| Floor Count: | 54 |
| Cost: | £83 million |
| Architect: | Ian Simpson |
| Developer: | Albany Crown |
The Albany Crown Tower (or the Crown Building) was a planned development on Aytoun and Auburn Streets in Manchester England.[1] It would have fronted onto the Rochdale Canal[2] not far from Piccadilly Station and been one of the tallest buildings in Manchester projected to cost £83 million.[3] It was designed by Ian Simpson,[4] for Albany Crown.
Planning permission was given in 2005 but construction never commenced and the developer entered administration in May 2010.
The mixed-use tower's proposed height was 131 m (430 ft), it had 44 floors, providing 35,298.00 square metres of space. The ground floor comprised retail space, while floors 1 to 23 (140,000 square feet of space) would be a hotel and floors 24 to 41 residential, with a penthouse on the top two floors.[5] In total there will be 237 flats. In May 2007, Albany proposed adding a further 10 storeys increasing its height to 160 m (525 ft). Adjoining the tower was a smaller, 11-storey structure, at 49 m (160 ft), with approximately 14,500 square metres of space to be occupied by retail and offices.
A planning application was submitted in February 2005.[6] Albany then purchased the site in October 2005[7] for £6 million. Planning permission was approved on the 11 November 2005.
The site was occupied by five-storey offices designed by David Thomson in 1936 and built between 1948 and 1951 when the architect E H Montague Ebbs took over the project,[8] and occupied by a Labour Exchange, part of the Department of Employment.[9] It was proposed to be demolished in early 2006 but demolition started in 2014. A hotel run by Holiday Inn is currently under construction on the site.
The project stalled due to the failure of Albany Assets to sell apartments in its other developments.[10]
Albany Crown entered administration in May 2010 and the construction of the hotel finally put paid to the chance of the skyscraper ever being constructed.[11]