Work on One Heritage Tower due to start later this year

Laing O’Rourke and Sir Robert McAlpine have thrown their hats into the ring for a 55-storey tower planned for Salford.

Designed by OMI, One Heritage Tower (pictured), earmarked for Greengate – just across the River Irwell from Manchester city centre – would be the second tallest in Manchester eclipsing the city’s previous tallest building, the 47-storey Beetham Tower which was completed by Carillion in 2006.

The scheme for client One Heritage Property Developments, a Hong Long-based fund, won planning last month with construction work due to start on site later this year.

A third bidder, Sisk, which is working on a 42-storey scheme in Birmingham called Mercian for developer Moda, is also understood to be eyeing the job.

>> Analysis: What’s behind Manchester’s building boom?

OMI said the 544-homes scheme would include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments – along with duplexes and penthouses. The project will also include a residents’ lounge, rooftop garden, pavilion, gym and library.

Manchester is undergoing a tall tower boom which has led the city to being dubbed Manc-hattan.

O’Rourke is due to start this summer on a £200m scheme to build a 40-storey tower for former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville’s development company. Known as St Michael’s, the scheme will include a five-star hotel of 191 bedrooms and a further 181 high-end apartments. McAlpine is also building a 22-storey PRS scheme in Spinningfields for landlord Grainger.

Local firm Renaker Build is behind the city’s tallest building, the 201m high South Tower in the city’s Deansgate Square development.

This 64-storey scheme has been designed by Ian Simpson’s firm SimpsonHaugh, the practice behind the Beetham Tower when it was known as Ian Simpson Architects.