NOMA

NOMA is a 20-acre mixed-use redevelopment in the northern part of Manchester city centre, opposite Manchester Victoria station. The name is short for North Manchester. The site takes in Angel Meadow, a district that was a notorious slum in the 19th century, described by Friedrich Engels as "hell on earth" after he studied conditions there; much of it is now Angel Meadow Park, a public green space. The Co-operative Group, whose Manchester roots go back to the 19th century, announced the £800 million NOMA scheme in 2011 to redevelop land around its Miller Street headquarters into around 4 million square feet of office, residential, retail, leisure and hotel space, with Manchester City Council contributing £20 million toward the project as a redevelopment incentive. The centrepiece is One Angel Square, the Co-op's own head office: a 72.5-metre, £100 million building that began construction in July 2010, completed in February 2013 and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 2013. It achieved a BREEAM "Outstanding" rating of 92.25, at the time making it one of the most sustainable large buildings in the world. Older buildings on the site have been kept and reused rather than replaced. The Grade II listed Hanover Building, built 1905-1909, reopened in 2018 as Amazon's Manchester head office. New Century House, also Grade II listed, includes New Century Hall, a former ballroom and music venue that hosted acts including Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s and today runs again as a live venue. Sadler's Yard, a public square between the CIS Tower, New Century House and the Hanover Building, launched in December 2015 and hosts street food traders and events. Hotel Indigo, a 14-storey circular building that cost £26 million, is also part of the scheme. In April 2014 the Co-operative Group brought in Hermes Real Estate as a joint venture partner to continue the development.

Photo: One Angel Square, Manchester by Alan Seddon, CC BY-SA 2.0