Plans for a major government office complex in Ancoats, which will bring 7,000 civil service jobs to Manchester, alongside a new urban park, have been given the green light by Manchester City Council's planning committee.

The Government Property Agency's (GPA) proposal for a state-of-the-art digital campus on the site of the former Central Retail Park was approved on Thursday, 20 February. The new development will not only house several Civil Service departments but will also focus on digital skills, positioning Manchester as a key player in the digital and tech sectors. The project is expected to generate significant employment opportunities and economic benefits for the region.

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The digital campus will act as a major hub for government work in the city, boosting Manchester's growing tech sector while providing a modern and collaborative environment for civil servants.

In addition to the office complex, plans for a new public park have also been approved. The park, designed in collaboration with landscape architects Planit-IE, will create vital green space in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. It will link to the existing Cotton Field Park and provide improved connections to Ancoats and New Islington.

The design includes a central lawn and plaza to buffer Great Ancoats Street, tiered gardens to manage the site's varied levels, and several play areas and quiet spaces for relaxation. The park has been created with accessibility in mind and will include new walking and cycling routes, integrating with other active travel projects in the city, including those in the Northern Quarter and around the Etihad Campus.

The site, spanning five-and-a-half acres, was acquired by the GPA from Manchester City Council in May 2023. The project, which will see the digital campus and park built side by side, follows a public consultation held in the summer of 2023, where local residents, businesses, and stakeholders were invited to contribute to the development plans.