£14m Space Project expansion is ‘out of this world’
TV production crews on site at Manchester’s drama hub have seen the first glimpse of the new main stage as the scale of the stages’ steel frame has been revealed.
The £14m expansion of The Space Project is on schedule and will be operational at the end the year further underpinning Manchester’s position as a worldwide production destination.
Adrian Bleasdale, chief executive of The Space Project said: “The first stage of the Space Project has seen repeat business from every UK major broadcaster.
“But as dramas grow in their ambition and scale, we wanted to deliver an affordable large-scale stage that will accommodate producers creative ambition with the realism of good budget management.
“We think the new stage 6 will deliver just that – scale, at an affordable price and the back up of a superb on site team dedicated to a great client experience.”
Since opening in 2014 the current five large stages on the Manchester site to the east of the city centre have been in huge demand.
This year will already see the return of successful ITV series Cold Feet, critically acclaimed BBC drama The A Word and BBC flagship entertainment series Dragons Den.
The TV and film production complex will double in size, creating a further 275 jobs and boosting the local economy by nearly £10m.
Across the 6.8 hectare (17 acre) site, more than 90,000sq ft of new buildings will be built for production and related support activities including the purpose built 30,000sq ft. stage.
Also included on site will be an additional 6,000sq ft of production offices and green rooms, an additional 10,000 sq. ft. workshops for set construction – equipped with water and power and vehicle access via roller shutters – and a further 40,000sq ft of business units to rent for companies who supply the TV production industry.
The 24-hour site has extensive parking for both cars and production vehicles and site wide data connectivity.
The new 6th stage measures 212 ft by 140 ft, reaches a height of 12.167m / 40ft to rigging point with 2 x 400 amp power, powerlock 3 phase with various other outlets available.
The stage also offers i-beam for easy rigging, a dedicated service yard with power and water, enhanced reverberation and acoustic performance, silent cool air-conditioning and wi-fi and hard wired IT.
