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, England, by height.
As of March 2025, Greater Manchester has 26 towers completed at a height of 100 metres (330 ft) or more and a further six towers above 100 m under construction. This is the largest number of high-rises in any metropolitan area in the United Kingdom outside London.
The first proposed skyscraper in Manchester was the 110 m (360 ft) tall 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.
Prior to Greater Manchester's creation as a ceremonial county in 1974, the first tall building boom in Manchester and Salford occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, with notable buildings including the 118 m (387 ft) tall CIS Tower, which became the tallest building in the United Kingdom when constructed in 1962, and the 107 m (351 ft) tall City Tower in 1965. The following year, the 80 m (260 ft) tall City Central tower overtook Salford Cathedral as the tallest building in Salford since 1848.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, few significant proposals came to fruition. However, there has been a renewed interest in skyscrapers in both Manchester and Salford 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 (490 ft), making it also the first official skyscraper outside London.
MediaCityUK in Salford Quays has also been at the forefront of development in the last 15 years with a number of towers being completed. These include the 90 m (300 ft) tall Blue, which was the tallest building in Salford Quays from 2010 until it was surpassed by the 101 m (331 ft) tall Eda in 2023, the X1 Media City collection of four 85 m (279 ft) tall towers and the 82 m (269 ft) tall TheHeart.
In 2018, Deansgate Square South Tower in Manchester became the only skyscraper in the United Kingdom outside London to reach a height of over 200 m (660 ft). South Tower is due to be surpassed by the end of the decade by The Lighthouse, a 213 m (699 ft) tall skyscraper, Regent Park Ordsall Lane Tower 6, a 242 m (794 ft) tall skyscraper in Ordsall facing Great Jackson Street and Viadux 2 Tower 1, a 246 m (807 ft) tall skyscraper in the Central Business District.
Also in 2018, the 130 m (430 ft) tall Anaconda Cut became the tallest building in Salford and the first building in Salford to reach a height of over 100 m. It was surpassed in 2023 by the 153 m (502 ft) tall Cortland at Colliers Yard, the tallest tower in Salford as of 2025.
Unlike most major cities in the United Kingdom, there are no height restrictions on city centre high-rises in Manchester. If all future proposals come to fruition, Greater Manchester could contain nearly 400 buildings over 50 m (160 ft) tall, as well as 72 high-rises above 100 m (330 ft) and 25 skyscrapers above 150 m (490 ft). 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 54 buildings over 100 m (330 ft) either built, under construction or proposed, along with a further 18 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 (330 ft) 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 central Manchester also contains a number of office and residential developments either completed or, as of 2025, under construction as part of the £800 million NOMA development. Significant completed projects within NOMA include the 72.5 m (238 ft) tall One Angel Square office building, and the 108 m (354 ft) tall 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 (420 ft) tall 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.
This list ranks structurally complete buildings and free-standing structures in Greater Manchester that stand at least 50 m (160 ft) 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.
This lists buildings that are under construction in Greater Manchester and are planned to rise at least 50 metres (160 ft). Under construction buildings that have already been topped out are listed above.
This lists buildings that are approved for construction in Greater Manchester and are planned to rise at least 50 metres (160 ft). 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.
This lists buildings that are proposed for construction in Greater Manchester and are planned to rise at least 50 metres (160 ft). 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.
This lists proposals for the construction of buildings in Greater Manchester that were planned to rise at least 50 metres (160 ft), for which planning permission was rejected or which were otherwise withdrawn.
This lists buildings in Greater Manchester that were at least 50 metres (164 ft) and have since been demolished.
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 (330 ft) 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.
This lists the top 23 buildings in order of height in Greater Manchester that are either completed, under construction, approved or proposed. The imminent transformation of the Manchester and Salford skylines is made clear with only six of the top 23 buildings already completed, with three under construction, five approved, and nine proposed as of January 2025.
Each building is only included once e.g. Deansgate South Tower is included in the ≥200m column but not in the ≥150m column.
Updated 8 March 2025