Hong Kong developer One Heritage this morning confirmed Laing O’Rourke would now begin work in the second quarter of this year rather than starting on the project now as originally planned.

The scheme, known as Waterloo Place, will comprise 545 flats in a 55-storey tower to be built in the Greengate district, overlooking Manchester arena.

Many of the tower’s components will be pre-fabricated off-site by Laing O’Rourke in sterile factory conditions, making new social distancing guidelines easier to fulfil.

One Heritage CEO Jason Upton said: “We have been operating within a challenging environment including a new national lockdown, but continue to experience strong demand for our properties, especially from overseas buyers.

“We have seen no sign of demand slowing in 2021 and expect to have a strong year for property sales and reservations.”