Plans for tower near historic pub rejected

Plans for a 17-storey tower block next to a historic Manchester pub have been rejected by councillors.

Developer The McGoff Group had applied to build 153 flats beside the Grade II-listed Marble Arch on Rochdale Road, which has been serving customers since 1888.

The company said the scheme would deliver much-needed city centre housing and help regenerate the area.

But the pub's owners argued the development threatened its future, and Manchester City Council's planning committee voted to refuse the application.

In its objection, the pub said the 17-storey building would be "overbearing and oppressive" and would harm the setting of the pub.

Councillors also raised concerns about the impact of the development on the Marble Arch and the lack of affordable housing in the scheme.

Councillor Jon-Connor Lyons said he was "deeply concerned" about the effect on "one of Manchester's distinctive and much-loved historic pubs".

A member of staff told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We get tourists coming from all over the world who are sent here.

"We have generations of families drinking here, dads and grandads and sons. You don't get places like this anymore and it's something we want to keep going."

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