Manchester City Council has been ordered to pay £80,000 in costs after the High Court ruled it acted “unreasonably” in blocking a developer from demolishing warehouses to make way for a pair of 56-storey skyscrapers.
The ruling marks the latest twist in a long-running dispute between the council and Weis Group, controlled by investor Aubrey Weis, over the Park Place development on Great Jackson Street. The project, first granted approval in principle in 2021, would deliver around 1,000 apartments across two towers.
While formal planning permission was finally issued in late 2024, subsequent requests by Weis Group to demolish warehouses on the site and implement the consent were rejected by the council on two occasions. The developer took the matter to the High Court and won.
A spokesperson for Weis Group said the court found all 10 grounds put forward by the council to be unreasonable, describing the authority’s approach as a “kitchen sink” refusal that would have prevented implementation of a planning permission it had itself granted.
The developer accused council officers of wasting time and acting inconsistently with the stated objective of bringing forward high-quality housing. “This is an important step in bringing much needed regeneration to the local area,” the spokesperson added.
Manchester City Council confirmed it accepts the ruling and will not appeal.
Photo: Mylo Kaye
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