Council forces sale of historic Manchester building

Manchester City Council is attempting to force the sale of the historic London Road Fire Station in the city centre in a bid to save it from ruin.

The fire station, which is located opposite Manchester's Piccadilly Station, has been labelled an 'eyesore' by the council, which has put forward a Compulsory Purchase Order to acquire it. They then plan to sell the building onto developers to prevent further deterioration.

The Edwardian, baroque-style building was built in 1906 and has Grade-II listed status. It formerly housed the Manchester fire brigade but has been owned by Britannia Hotels for over 20 years and remained largely unused for that time. The building has got into such a state of disrepair that it was put onto English Heritage’s ‘at risk’ register.

The council has finally lost patience with the hotel group, who, despite applying for numerous planning permissions, have never done anything with the building.

Under the order, Britannia would have to sell the building to the council at its current market value.

A council spokesperson said, "It is essential this building makes a positive contribution to the regeneration of the Piccadilly area rather than inhibiting it and causing a poor first impression of the city."

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