Asbestos and buildings in Ancoats and Northern Quarter
Ancoats grew up around some of the first steam-powered cotton mills, and the Northern Quarter was largely warehousing for the textile trade. Many of these buildings have been converted to flats, studios, bars and offices, in some cases more than once. A conversion in the 1980s or 1990s may have used asbestos insulating board in partitions, fire protection and service ducts, even though the original structure predates asbestos use. Plant rooms, boiler houses and later roof repairs are other places it can turn up. Pre-purchase checks, refits of ground-floor bars and restaurants, and managing-agent registers for converted blocks are the usual reasons for a survey here.
Buildings commonly found in Ancoats and Northern Quarter
- Former cotton mills and textile warehouses
- Converted apartment blocks with shared plant rooms and roofs
- Ground-floor bars, restaurants and studios fitted out in older shells
What to do next
If the building was built or refurbished before 2000, start with a survey, because it tells you what is there before anyone disturbs it. Use the form to send the postcode, the type of property and up to five photographs, and an independent partner surveyor will contact you. If the survey finds something that has to come out, we can connect you with licensed removal contractors.
