List of tallest buildings and structures in Greater Manchester



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

, Greater Manchester has 20 towers completed at a height of 100 m 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 Quay Street Tower. Envisioned to be completed in 1948, it would have been the tallest tower in Europe. 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 CIS Tower, which became the tallest building in the United Kingdom when constructed in 1962 and the 107 m 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, making it also the first official skyscraper outside London. In 2018, Deansgate Square South Tower became the only skyscraper in the United Kingdom outside London to reach a height of over 200 m. South Tower is due to be surpassed by the end of the decade by The Lighthouse, a 213 m skyscraper also in the Great Jackson Street framework, Regent Park Ordsall Lane Tower 1, a 232 m tall skyscraper in Ordsall facing Great Jackson Street, as well as Viadux Tower 2, a 241 m (790 ft) tall skyscraper in the Central Business District.

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 tall, as well as over 60 high-rises above 100 m and 22 skyscrapers above 150 m. 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 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 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 2024, 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 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 Angel Meadow Park and Angel Square office towers, and the Gas Works development which will deliver nine separate buildings ranging from eight to 34 storeys.

≥100 metres
This list ranks structurally complete buildings and free-standing structures in Greater Manchester that stand at least 100 m 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.

50–99 metres
This list ranks structurally complete buildings and free-standing structures in Greater Manchester that stand between 50 m and 99 m 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.

Under construction
This lists buildings that are under construction in Greater Manchester and are planned to rise at least 50 m. Under construction buildings that have already been topped out are listed above.

Approved
This lists buildings that are approved for construction in Greater Manchester and are planned to rise at least 50 m. If approved projects do not start construction within five years of their approval date they are assumed to be no longer active and considered 'unbuilt' unless further information is available.

Proposed
This lists buildings that are proposed for construction in Greater Manchester and are planned to rise at least 50 m. If proposed projects are not approved within five years of their proposal date they are assumed to be no longer active and considered 'unbuilt' unless further information is available.

Unbuilt
This lists proposals for the construction of buildings in Greater Manchester that were planned to rise at least 50 m, for which planning permission was rejected or which were otherwise withdrawn.

Demolished
This lists buildings in Greater Manchester that were at least 50 metres (164 ft) and have since been demolished.

Timeline of tallest buildings and structures
After a period after the 1960s building boom where few new significant buildings were built in Greater Manchester, the early 21st century has seen a long list of proposals meaning the skyline has been transformed in recent decades. The first towers over 100 m were the CIS Tower and the City Tower, the former of which kept the title of tallest building in Greater Manchester for 41 years until the Beetham Tower was completed in 2006. In 2018, Deansgate Square South Tower became the tallest building in Greater Manchester and the tallest in the United Kingdom outside London.

Future tallest
This lists the top 20 buildings in order of height in Greater Manchester that are either completed, under construction, approved or proposed. The imminent transformation of the Manchester skyline is made clear with only five of the top 20 already constructed, with four under construction, three approved and eight proposed.