By Monk

Manchester City Council has confirmed that it is to review a major planning application, involving proposals to build the city’s tallest skyscraper after the Music Venue Trust intervened on behalf of the nearby Rebellion venue.

The Nobu Tower, adjacent to the Manchester Convention Centre, would stand at 246 metres and 76 storeys, making it the tallest building outside London. However, after initially being granted ouline planning permission last month, developers Salboy once again will find themselves in front of the city’s Planning And Highways Committee next week, to address a number of concerns, raised by the MVTA, and others, including claims that appropriate consultation was not carried out with neighbours such as Rebellion.

In a statement, the Music Venue Trust said:

[We urge] Manchester City Council and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the proposed Nobu Tower development proceeds with responsible and inclusive planning that protects both the wellbeing of future residents and the sustainability of the existing local business and cultural community.

The development neighbours Rebellion, a vital grassroots music venue that has operated as a home for live music since 2013. Rebellion hosts over 220 events annually and is an alternative rock and metal venue, genres well known for amplified performances and naturally higher volume levels. As such, the potential for noise conflict is substantial and requires robust and reasoned mitigation from the developer, informed by accurate data from the outset.

Rebellion is not only well-loved locally and nationally, it is also an irreplaceable part of Manchester’s live music infrastructure. Its continued operation contributes directly to the city’s economy, cultural vibrancy, and international reputation as a music capital. To ignore the venue’s role in the city’s ecosystem is to risk avoidable harm to both residents’ quality of life and the cultural richness that makes Manchester thrive.

Despite this, the planning application has progressed without engaging the venue’s operators. Most concerningly, no consultation took place during acoustic testing, meaning there is no meaningful assurance that new residents will be protected from noise or that the venue will be shielded from potential future complaints.

This approach not only risks Rebellion’s viability, it risks creating residential units with poor amenity and unsatisfactory living standards. It is essential that further acoustic assessments be conducted in active collaboration with the venue and that any approval is subject to noise conditions that reflect the realities of a vibrant, working live music venue next door.

The risk here is not hypothetical. MVT’s Emergency Response Service continues to record noise complaints as one of the primary drivers of venue closures, particularly in areas of dense redevelopment. Our 2024 Annual Report recorded the loss of 86 grassroots music venues in the UK last year alone, many due to exactly these planning oversights.

Planning policy is clear. The Agent of Change principle, enshrined in both national policy and Manchester’s own cultural and licensing strategies, places responsibility for noise mitigation squarely with the developer, not with the established venue. This principle exists to ensure harmonious coexistence between new developments and established cultural assets.

In fact, this issue is so pressing in Greater Manchester that MVT has worked in partnership with the Greater Manchester Music Commission and the Night Time Economy Office to create ‘Planning: A Practical Guide’, a resource designed to prevent precisely this kind of planning conflict. We urge all decision-makers to consult this document.

In conclusion, responsible planning should never pit residents against local businesses. It should create places where people want to live because of the cultural life on their doorstep, not despite it. That begins with listening to the community, working collaboratively, and protecting the venues that have built Manchester’s global reputation.

It is understood, however, that the plan – together with that for another nearby skyscraper which is being reconsidered for the same reason – is still earmarked for approval at the meeting, which will take place on Thursday (29 May).