Freddie Flintoff’s plans for a new tower block in Manchester have been approved on the second attempt.
The plans were approved after the former England cricketer scaled down the structure after councillors rejected it for being too big.
The new development, which will be located on Arundel Street in Castlefield, will reach 23 storeys rather than the original 35.
Councillors were pleased with the reduction, while town hall officers said the company had worked with and listened to the local community.
When the larger proposal came to the planning meeting last year, coun Leigh-Ann Igbon had said residents in her ward were concerned about the city centre’s ever-rising skyline creeping into Hulme.
In Thursday’s meeting she said she had been impressed by the developer’s improvements to the plans, but argued that the ‘lovely’ St George’s Church – the starting point of the Peterloo massacre – would still be ‘overtaken’ by the building.
But town hall papers showed no local councillors objected to the latest version, after Flintoff’s property company Logik reduced the number of apartments in the scheme from 386 to 355, creating a different cluster of four blocks, rising from eight storeys to 23.
The revised scheme includes redeveloping a former Department of Transport building to create further apartments and commercial space on the ground floor.
The tower’s position has been altered to reflect local concerns.
Other changes include provision for landscaping and improved public access to the Bridgewater Canal.
Top Gear host Flintoff isn’t the first Manchester-based sports star to venture into property in the city.
Last year, a dramatic £200m skyscraper in Manchester city centre – backed by former Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs – was approved by the town hall.
And earlier this year, former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany won approval for his luxury apartment development in Ancoats.
