This list of the tallest buildings and structures in Greater Manchester ranks buildings in Greater Manchester by height.

As of August 2023^[update], Greater Manchester has 20 towers completed at a height of 100 metres (330 ft) or more and a further 12 towers above 100 m under construction. This is the largest number of high-rises in any metropolitan area in the United Kingdom outside London.

History and future development

The first proposed skyscraper in Central Manchester was the 110 m (360 ft) Quay Street Tower. Envisioned to be completed in 1948, it would have been the tallest tower in Europe.^[1] The proposal was rejected and said to be inconsiderate, as much of the city was still rebuilding after the Manchester Blitz of the Second World War.

The first tall building boom in Greater Manchester occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, with notable buildings including the 118 m (387 ft) CIS Tower, which became the tallest building in the United Kingdom when constructed in 1962 and the 107 m (351 ft) City Tower.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, few significant proposals came to fruition. However, there has been a renewed interest in skyscrapers in Manchester in the 21st century, with a number of proposals being brought forward. In 2006, Beetham Tower became the tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London and the first to reach a height of over 150 m (490 ft), making it also the first official skyscraper outside London.^[2] In 2018, Deansgate Square South Tower became the only skyscraper in the United Kingdom outside London to reach a height of over 200 m (660 ft). South Tower is due to be surpassed by the end of the decade by The Lighthouse, a 213 m (699 ft) skyscraper also in the Great Jackson Street framework,^[3] Regent Park Ordsall Lane Tower 1, a 232 m (761 ft) tall skyscraper in Ordsall facing Great Jackson Street as well as Viadux Tower 2, a 240 m (787 ft) tall skyscraper in the Central Business District.^[4]

Unlike most major cities in the United Kingdom, there are no height restrictions and local planning officers generally adopt a laissez-faire attitude towards city centre high-rises in Manchester. If all future proposals come to fruition, Greater Manchester could contain over 350 buildings over 50 m (160 ft) tall, as well as over 60 high-rises above 100 m (330 ft) and 22 skyscrapers above 150 m (490 ft). Each of these figures are substantially higher than anywhere else in the United Kingdom outside of London.

Central Manchester is the predominant location for tall proposals, with 50 buildings over 100 m (330 ft) either built, under construction or proposed, along with a further 14 being built, under construction or proposed in Salford, immediately to the west of Central Manchester.

Castlefield, which contains the Trinity Islands and Deansgate Square skyscraper developments, and Greengate are the two areas with the biggest collection of skyscrapers in Greater Manchester either built, under construction or proposed over 100 m (330 ft) tall. Both areas are part of wider masterplans to expand Central Manchester and Salford out southwards and westwards respectively, with amenities such as new green areas and schools to enable urban living.

The northern side of the city also contains a number of office and residential developments either completed or, as of 2023, under construction as part of the £800 million NOMA development. Significant completed projects within NOMA include One Angel Square, a modern zero carbon emissions energy-plus building and the 108 m (354 ft) Angel Gardens residential tower. These buildings will be joined by the Angel Meadow development, which will deliver three new residential towers including the 128 m (420 ft) Angel Meadow Park and Angel Square office towers, and the Gas Works development which will deliver nine separate buildings ranging from 8 to 34 storeys.^[5][6]

List: Completed structures

The following list ranks structurally complete buildings and free-standing structures in Greater Manchester that stand at least 50 m (160 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.

An equals sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. Buildings that have been demolished are not included.

Copyright.sk © 2024

Rank	Name	Image	Height m (ft)	Floors	Year	Primary Use	Location	Notes
1	Deansgate Square South Tower		201 (658)	65	2018	Residential	Castlefield	Tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London. As of 2023, it is the 11th-tallest by height and has the fourth highest floor count in the United Kingdom.[7][8]
2	Beetham Tower		169 (554)	47	2006	Hotel / Residential	Castlefield	Second-tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London. Roof height reaches 158 m (518 ft).[9][10] Upon completion in 2006, Beetham Tower became the tallest building in Greater Manchester, surpassing the CIS Tower by over 50 m (160 ft).
3	Deansgate Square East Tower		158 (518)	50	2019	Residential	Castlefield	Third-tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London and the second-tallest in the Deansgate Square cluster.[11][12]
4=	The Blade		154 (505)	51	2023	Residential	Castlefield	The Blade is part of the second phase of the Crown Street development area at the southern end of Deansgate behind the Deansgate Square development. It is situated between its sister building Three60 and Elizabeth Tower.[13][14]
	Three60		154 (505)	51	2023	Residential	Castlefield	Three60 is part of the second phase of the Crown Street development area at the southern end of Deansgate behind the Deansgate Square development. It is situated next to its sister building The Blade and Elizabeth Tower.[13]
6	Elizabeth Tower		153 (501)	52	2022	Residential	Castlefield	Sixth-tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London, part of the Great Jackson Street skyscraper cluster. Elizabeth Tower features a rooftop bar and a 44th floor swimming pool, as well as a gym and spa for private residents.[15][16]
7	Cortland at Colliers Yard		153 (500)	50	2023	Residential	Greengate	The tallest tower in Salford and the seventh-tallest building in the United Kingdom outside London. Cortland at Colliers Yard is the largest tower in a collection of three towers in the Greengate area of Salford.[17][18]
8	Deansgate Square West Tower		144 (473)	44	2018	Residential	Castlefield	West Tower was the first completed development of the Deansgate Square collection of skyscrapers.[19][20]
9	Viadux Tower 1		136 (446)	40	2023	Residential	Central Business District	Viadux is a major scheme built on top of a viaduct next to Beetham Tower in Central Manchester.[21][22]
10	Anaconda Cut		131 (431)	44	2018	Residential	Greengate	100 Greengate (Anaconda Cut) is a key development in the Greengate area of Salford.[23]
11	Deansgate Square North Tower		122 (399)	37	2019	Residential	Castlefield	North Tower is the final and smallest development in height of the Deansgate Square collection of skyscrapers.[24][25]
12	CIS Tower		118 (387)	25	1962	Office	NOMA	The CIS tower was the United Kingdom's tallest building upon completion and as of 2023 remains the tallest office building outside London.[26][27]
13	Affinity Living Circle Square		115 (378)	38	2020	Residential	Chorlton-On-Medlock	Affinity Living Circle Square is the tallest building in Circle Square. Circle Square is a major area of residential development within the Oxford Road corridor in Central Manchester where the former offices of BBC Manchester stood, incorporating numerous shops, cafes and a park.[28][29]
14	Affinity Living Riverview		112 (367)	35	2021	Residential	Greengate	Affinity Living Riverview is a major residential tower in the Greengate area of Salford on the banks of the River Irwell.[30][31]
15	Oxygen Towers		109 (358)	33	2021	Residential	Piccadilly	Oxygen Towers is a significant construction in the Piccadilly area in the east of Central Manchester. The development features townhouses at ground level and apartments on the floors above.[32]
16	Angel Gardens		108 (355)	36	2019	Residential	NOMA	Located adjacent to the CIS Tower, Angel Gardens is one of the centrepieces of the £800 million NOMA development area backed by the Co-operative Group in the northern gateway to Central Manchester.[33]
17=	City Tower		107 (351)	30	1965	Office	Central Business District	As of 2023, City Tower is the third-tallest office building outside London, after CIS Tower and 103 Colmore Row in Birmingham. Antenna spire height reaches 123 m (404 ft).[34][35]
	Embankment Exchange		107 (351)	35	2023	Residential	Greengate	Embankment Exchange is a major residential construction in the Greengate area of Salford.[36][37]
19	Bridgewater Heights		106 (348)	32	2012	Student Accommodation	Oxford Road	Bridgewater Heights is a key development in the Oxford Road area of Central Manchester catering to demand for student accommodation from nearby universities such as the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. Upon completion, it was the tallest purpose-built student accommodation in the world.[38][39]
20	Eda		101 (331)	29	2023	Residential	Salford Quays	Eda in Anchorage Quay is a major development containing 290 apartments in Salford Quays.[40][41][42]
21=	Swan Street Tower		98 (322)	34	2023	Residential	Ancoats	Swan Street Tower is a major development in the Ancoats area in the northern gateway to Central Manchester containing over 350 apartments.[43]
	Union Living, St John's Tower 2		98 (321)	32	2023	Residential	St John's	Union Living, St John's Tower 2 is a major co-living residential tower containing almost 400 apartments and is a key element in the new St John's district of Central Manchester situated adjacent to Spinningfields.[44]
23	Artisan Heights		95 (312)	32	2020	Office / Student Accommodation	Oxford Road	Artisan Heights is an ultra modern tower at the top end of the Oxford Road corridor in Central Manchester. The tower is the second-tallest student accommodation tower in Manchester, home to more than 600 students as well as containing areas for commercial space.[45]
24	Axis Tower		93 (305)	28	2018	Residential	Castlefield	Located in the south-western area of Central Manchester, next to Beetham Tower, Axis was originally conceived as an office development but cancelled during the Great Recession in 2008. The project was reborn in 2012 as a residential tower incorporating a giant advertising screen.[46]
25=	1 Spinningfields		92 (302)	20	2017	Office	Spinningfields	1 Spinningfields is the third-tallest office building in Central Manchester after City Tower and the CIS Tower and the tallest building in Spinningfields, an area in the western part of Central Manchester which has undergone intense development in the past 10 years to develop new office and entertainment spaces in the city.[47]
	River Street Tower		92 (302)	32	2020	Student Accommodation	Castlefield	River Street Tower is a significant construction adjacent to Deansgate Square. The tower is the third-tallest student accommodation tower in Manchester, home to nearly 800 students. Construction of a larger 125 m (410 ft) tower initially commenced in 2013 but was put on hold the same year and eventually replaced with the current tower.[48]
27=	Arndale House		90 (295)	21	1979	Office	Central Business District	Due to its location in the heart of Central Manchester, above the Arndale shopping centre, Arndale House is a prominent building in the city. When completed in 1979 it was the third-tallest tower in the city after City Tower and the CIS Tower.[49]
	Blue, MediaCityUK		90 (295)	18	2010	Office	Salford Quays	Blue, MediaCityUK is the joint-tallest building in Salford Quays as of 2023. Blue is part of MediaCityUK, the development of which is part of wider ambitious plans to transform Salford Quays into a major commerce and entertainment area of Greater Manchester.[50]
	Fortis Quay Tower 1		90 (295)	26	2020	Residential	Salford Quays	Fortis Quay Tower 1 is the tallest tower in a scheme in the heart of Salford Quays delivering over 750 apartments. The scheme includes a smaller tower and the conversion of Furness House and Custom House, two 1970s office buildings. As of 2023, it is the joint-tallest building in Salford Quays along with Blue, MediaCityUK.[51]
30	New Victoria Tower 1		89 (292)	25	2022	Residential	Central Business District	New Victoria is a large office and residential scheme located by Victoria train station in the northern side of Central Manchester.[52]
31	One Greengate Block A		88 (289)	31	2016	Residential	Greengate	One Greengate is the second-tallest development within Greengate.[53]
32	Manchester Town Hall Clock Tower		87 (285)	N/A	1877	Government	Central Business District	Manchester Town Hall was the tallest building in Manchester for 85 years from 1877 until the CIS Tower was completed in 1962. Manchester Town Hall remains a prominent focal point in the city.[54]
33	TheHeart, MediaCityUK		86 (282)	22	2010	Hotel	Salford Quays	TheHeart is the second-tallest hotel in Manchester after the Hilton Hotel situated in the Beetham Tower. Part of MediaCityUK, TheHeart is part of wider ambitious plans to transform Salford Quays into a major commerce and entertainment area of Greater Manchester.[55][56]
34=	X1 Media City Tower 1		85 (277)	26	2017	Residential	Salford Quays	The X1 Media City development is a construction of four identical residential towers. Part of MediaCityUK, the development is part of wider ambitious plans to transform Salford Quays into a major commerce and entertainment area of Greater Manchester. Two buildings have been completed and two more are under construction as of 2023.[57][58]
	X1 Media City Tower 2		85 (277)	26	2019	Residential	Salford Quays
36	Cambridge Street Block A		83 (272)	26	2016	Residential	Oxford Street	Cambridge Street Block A, constructed by Renaker, is the tallest of a collection of prominent residential buildings in the Oxford Road area of the city, close to the Bridgewater Heights development.[59]
37	One Regent