Manchester City Council has given the go-ahead to Hurstwood Holdings' proposal to transform a former office on the Roundthorn Industrial Estate into a 100-capacity school for children and young adults with special educational needs.
The change of use application was submitted to the city council by Broadgrove Planning Consultants and covers the conversion of the two-storey, 20,000 sq ft Vision House off Floats Road.
Vision House, which sits on 2.4 acres, was previously home to Maginus Software before the company departed in 2023, leaving the building empty.
Back in July, when the application was first submitted, Sam Ashworth, project director at Hurstwood Holdings, highlighted the urgent need for such facilities.
"There is a clear and growing need for more SEND school places across Greater Manchester, with many existing schools already at capacity," said Ashworth.
"This site offers a unique and sustainable opportunity to quickly deliver a much-needed facility in a well-connected, secure and nurturing setting, which is uniquely suited to the specialist needs of SEND education providers."
While a specific SEND school operator has not yet been confirmed, Ashworth said at the time that he was in "detailed conversations" with multiple potential occupiers.
The project team working on the conversion includes ArchitectFolk, Jameson Acoustics, SK Transport, Williams Sillitoe, PG Consulting and NoiseAir.
The approval adds to a growing trend of academic institutions taking over office space across the North West, with recent deals including QA Higher Education's 10-year lease at Bruntwood SciTech's St James Building and UK Management College's move to Lovell's former Salford office.
Last month, another SEN school, First Steps Together, applied to take over the 18,000 sq ft Mulberry House office building, also in Wythenshawe.
