The building is named after The Scala Cinema, erected in 1912, one of the first cinemas to be built in the early days of cinema. Sadly demolished,  the name still has a resonance to the people of Withington.

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After standing idle for a number of years, Britannia Property Group asked us to draw up regeneration proposals. Our aim was to heal the urban fabric with this mixed use scheme in the centre of Withington in South Manchester. The building provides some much needed affordable, residential accommodation for key workers, together with  ground floor retail units. 

 

We incorporated a covered walkway on Copson Street, and a canopy on Wilmslow Road in a reference to the former cinema. Otherwise, apart from acknowledging the scale and mass of the district, and in particular the former White Lion public house to the south, this Scala does what the former Scala did and make a statement of its time.

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We have sought to design a contemporary building that adds to the street scene, reflecting the importance of this site, which is in a Conservation Area and adjacent to a listed building, using traditional materials in a modern architectural language. 

  

Planning Consultant – P4 Planning 

Heritage services provided by Atelier Heritage.