The Royal Bank of Scotland is to occupy two buildings - No.1 Hardman Boulevard and No.1 Spinningfields Square, Deansgate. The new buildings will be ready for occupation by the end of 2004. No.1 Spinningfields Square, Deansgate, designed by Sheppard Robson, will provide 123,000 sf of offices midway along Deansgate, one of the city's main thoroughfares and will form the important entrance to the Spinningfields scheme. And the 350,000-sf No 1 Hardman Boulevard, designed by RHWL, will dominate the new office district between the River Irwell and Deansgate.

Allied London Chief Executive Mike Ingall said: 'Spinningfields has been designed to provide outstanding office accommodation within the scheme and this deal shows that we can accommodate the needs of any national or international company owing to the variety of options we have available and the size of our development.'

Overall, the £650 million ($1 billion) Spinningfields project will provide 1.5 million sf of international quality offices, 400 residential apartments, luxury hotels, 300,000 sf of restaurants, shops and bars plus a new courthouse and replacement buildings for the Manchester College of Arts and Technology.