Funding boost for project to regenerate Manchester market buildings

Manchester City Council has secured almost £20m for a project to transform two dilapidated buildings and three railway arches into spaces for the tech and creative industries.

The Culture in the City scheme has received £19.8m through the first round of the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The project will see the Upper and Lower Campfield Market buildings – which are both listed – renovated and refurbished to become an affordable tech hub with more than 1,000 workspaces.

The Fund will also invest in three railway arches on Whitworth Street which will be converted to create a creative talent development centre for arts venue HOME, providing affordable co-working areas, a free rehearsal space and creative skills training for young people.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: ‘The Culture in the City project will help further develop the tech presence in Manchester – a key growth industry that has the potential to have an enormous impact on employment opportunities for local people, while bringing key city centre sites back in to use.

‘Not only will this project bring back into use and preserve two historical market halls – and bring new use to some of the city’s heritage railway archways – but also highlights the vital contribution cultural investment has made to the city’s renaissance. The lasting impact of projects like these to the city’s economic potential cannot be underestimated as we recover from the pandemic.’

Michael Ingall, chief executive of Allied London, who will be the Council’s development partner for the project, added: ‘We identified the Campfields project as an important part of both the Culture in the City and Enterprise City story, and we are really encouraged by this project now being recognised and awarded significant funding as part of the Levelling Up initiative.

‘Our already successful and growing Exchange initiative at Department Bonded Warehouse at Enterprise City has been aimed at local tech start-ups and scale-ups, and its success has really both inspired and underpinned our vision for Campfields.

‘Campfields will be built on an inclusive and affordable model and will truly be a project of scale and ambition. It will make an important economic and social impact, and create an opportunity for local skills to be harnessed by both establishing and attracting tech, digital and media businesses to this fast growing and evolving part of the UK.’

In related news, ground has broken on a project to transform Manchester’s Albert Square, with the aim of making it a ‘world class’ public space.

Photo by Joe Cleary