Behind the numbers of Manchester's proposed £300million 71-storey tower with a top-floor restaurant and three penthouses... but no affordable homes

In an ever-growing city, taking the title of Manchester’s tallest building is no mean feat.

Even in the billion-pound-world of property development, it was always going to require a major player to come along and knock the current top dog off its perch — Deansgate Square’s South Tower.

It comes as little surprise, therefore, the firm taking on the challenge is the very same company who constructed the South Tower. That is Renaker Build, which recently unveiled its plans for Plot D — a 71-storey, 213m (698 feet) tower which features a top-floor restaurant and ‘lantern’ design at the south of Deansgate, next to Mancunian Way.

The plans notably do not feature any affordable housing, planning documents also show. In this special report, the Manchester Evening News takes a long look at the proposed development.

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Aside from its height, Plot D’s most eye-catching external characteristic is the promise of a ‘lantern’ design at the top, which echoes the design of a lighthouse.

Starting at the 67th floor, the lantern will house the private residential amenities. Those amenities will include lounges, private dining, and meeting rooms on floor 67, and a swimming pool, sauna, and gym on the 68th level, which also extend up to storey 69.

On floor 70, the final level which can be accessed by the public, an 8,200 sq ft (762 sqm) restaurant is planned. It will offer ‘360 degree views of Manchester’ by running alongside ‘ the full perimeter of the building’.

Externally, the lantern has ‘the potential to serve as a new city landmark’, a design and access statement written by SimpsonHaugh on behalf of Renaker says.

“As the building rises and