A scheme using £17.5 million of Levelling Up funding to transform two historic Manchester city centre buildings into a modern hub for growing media and tech firms has taken a step forward.

The Council has entered into legal agreements with development partner Allied London for the Grade II-listed Upper Campfield Market and Lower Campfield Market buildings on Liverpool Road.

Allied London will repair, refurbish and fit out these heritage buildings to create a new Campfield tech, media and creative industries hub within St. John’s which will be operated by its managed workspace platform All Work & Social. A third building, Castlefield House owned by Allied London, will also be repositioned as part of the masterplan to provide complementary workspace for tech and media businesses.

-- Advertisement --

Campfield is one of two schemes which together formed the Culture In The City project which the Council was awarded almost £20m of Government Levelling Up funding in autumn 2021. The remaining £2.2m will see three heritage railway arches, between arts venue HOME and Whitworth Street West, converted into a creative talent development centre to be operated by HOME. More details of this will be announced in the new year.

Campfield will attract and support start-up, recovery and scale-up businesses in the tech, innovation and media sectors.

The Campfield market buildings will provide 83,000 sq. ft. of modern workspace including a minimum of 400 hot desks plus meeting rooms, event spaces and other facilities accessible on a permanent occupier or drop-in basis.

Over a 15-year period, it is anticipated that 1,600 jobs will be created and a further 2,400 jobs sustained.

The project will build on the success of the Exchange Tech Hub in the Bonded Warehouse and form part of wider plans for Enterprise City in St John’s including the ABC Building, the Globe Building, and Manchester Goods Yard which is already the home of Booking.com and Cloud Imperium Games.

Work on Campfield will start in the new year and be completed by spring 2024.