A £35m revamp of the curvy 1960s block alongside Piccadilly station is set to bring a new 270-bed hotel to Manchester city centre.

The new designs submitted designs for Gateway House also include a restaurant and bar, retail space and meeting rooms.

The building was formerly occupied by NHS North West before the organisation moved to offices at Piccadilly Gardens.

The plans also feature a three-storey gym on the site and a new block on Ducie Street containing seven floors of office space.

It is hoped the new building will create a better first impression of Manchester. More than 20 million people pass the site every year, according to designers.

They plan to use tiny bulbs to light up the converted property, claiming it will make it the ‘largest piece of public artwork in the city’.

The upturn in the North Staffordshire economy appears to be gathering pace after a leading business support organisation announced it had helped 66 budding entrepreneurs start new companies in the first six weeks of 2010.

Business Link West Midlands, which provides expert advice and guidance to start-ups and established businesses, has also seen a 30% rise in the number of people looking to launch firms compared to this time last year, offering initial advice to a further 2000 individuals from Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands.

These figures come on the eve of ‘An Audience with Sháá Wasmund’ at the Britannia Hotel on March 11th. The event, which is supported by Barclays Bank, is the latest in a series aimed at new businesses.

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