Cricket legend Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff's plans to build a new tower block in Castlefield have been massively scaled back.
He's re-submitted proposals for the building after being knocked back the first time around.
Town hall chiefs said the skyscraper would be 'overbearing'. They will soon consider new plans after Freddie and his developer pals went back to the drawing board.
Freddie is a director at Logik, which is now asking to build a block between 11 and 23 storeys beside the Mancunian Way. A nine-story block would sit next door on Arundel Street.
Original plans showed the potential for a 30-storey main tower and a 10-storey block nearby.
Logik is also planning to renovate the former Department of Transport building on Ellesmere Street for more posh flats.
The whole plan could see 355 apartments built.
Councillors rejected the initial vision last year, arguing that the tower would overshadow the Castlefield conservation area and the nearby, listed St George’s church.
Read more of today's top stories
They also raised fears about the effect ‘Flintoff towers’ would have had on residents in Hulme.
One councillor said locals were 'scared' of more blocks dwarfing their community.
The paedophile football coach who abused boys after making them 'man of the match'
Veteran GMP officer sacked after 'telling colleague to stop sending him immigrants' as students
In planning papers sent to Manchester council last week, developers say they have met with community group Britannia Basin Residents’ Forum, whose members spoke out against the previous application.
The new plans include space for shops and cafes on the ground floor. Bosses want Manchester-based businesses to fill that space.
Computer-generated images show how the development could look. They include visions of outdoor 'social seating' around Worsley Street and the Mancunian Way.
The tower would also boast a garden ‘gathering space', with yoga classes and outdoor film screenings; as well as a ‘kitchen garden’, where people will be able to eat.
A 'viability assessment' sent to councillors says the scheme provides 'scope for the developer to make a commensurate financial contribution for planning purposes', although it's not clear how much that would be.
Flintoff isn't the only sports star to move into Manchester's property scene.
In March, a luxury development in Ancoats, backed by Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, was given the go-ahead.
And last year, a dramatic £200m skyscraper in Manchester city centre – backed by former Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs – was approved.
