'An absolute abomination': Residents hit out after skyscraper rejected for being 'too tall' now could be built - after height reduced by just ONE floor

Plans for a new skyscraper in Manchester which were rejected for being 'too tall' could be approved this week as the developer agrees to remove one floor. The tallest of the buildings planned as part of the 481-apartment scheme off Great Ancoats Street would stand at 33 storeys and feature four fewer flats.

Manchester council's planning committee knocked back the proposal twice in two months, raising concerns about the height of the £154m development. Councillors also complained about the lack of affordable housing offered.

However, town hall planners have said that reducing the height of the tallest building by one storey brings the proposal in line with the masterplan for the Piccadilly Basin area and have recommended that the application is approved. But opponents to the plans say the development would still be too tall.

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Speaking on behalf of the Royal Mills Residents' Association, one representative said: "As it stands, taking one storey off doesn't cut it at all. They need to take at least 15 storeys off.

"We don't have an objection to it being 20 storeys if needs be, but another 13 storeys would have such an impact on the buildings around it. Aesthetically, it doesn't look right.

"We're a residential area. And the fact that there would be a shadow across the school when the kids leave at half past three is an absolute abomination."

The plans for 485 apartments in a 34-storey tower on Port Street and an 11-storey tower in Great Ancoats Street were submitted by Cheshire-based developer Select Property Group to Manchester council earlier this year. But a few months earlier, a public consultation