Work set to start on £96m development in Manchester city centre
Dublin-based John Sisk & Son has been selected by property group Bruntwood as the construction partner to deliver the first phase of the commercial development at Circle Square, a new city centre neighbourhood in the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor innovation district.
The appointment, with a development value of £96m, follows Sisk’s announcement in November 2017 that it had been chosen to deliver the £140m Circle Square Affinity residential development for Bruntwood’s joint venture partner, Select Property Group, and brings the total value of the project to £240m.
Sisk is due to complete all the current contract works on the project, which at peak will employ a workforce of 1,300 people, during 2021.
Guy Fowler, John Sisk & Son’s managing director, UK North & major projects, said: “John Sisk & Son is delighted to be selected as construction partner to deliver the next phase of this exciting development on behalf of Bruntwood and Select Property Group.
“Both projects demonstrate Sisk’s commitment to building a long term strategic alliance with the city and our clients.
“We look forward to bringing our extensive residential and commercial expertise to these projects, working in an open and collaborative manner with all of the stakeholders on what is a landmark development for both clients and the City of Manchester.”
Witha total development value of £750m, Circle Square will create a new urban neighbourhood in Manchester, a diverse and unique place where education, technology, business and culture meet, mix and thrive.
Circle Square will be delivered over three phases with over two thirds of the scheme completed by 2020.
The masterplan for the site includes 1.2m sq ft of commercial office space, 1,700 new homes and 100,000 sq ft of ground floor retail and leisure space for shops, studios, bars and restaurants.
A multi-storey car park and two hotels will provide additional amenity to the site and the 250,000 sq ft of public realm will bring much needed green space to the city.
Ciara Keeling, director of asset management at Bruntwood, said: “Circle Square will truly be a location like no other – at the gateway to Manchester’s innovation district and an amazing place to live, work and play.
“We are delighted to be moving forward with the construction phase of the first two commercial buildings, representing 400,000 sq ft of beautifully-designed contemporary workspace, with technology, collaboration and well-being at the heart of our customer offer.
“Circle Square’s incredible location lends itself to being a natural home for innovative tech businesses and we are already making strides to build a new cluster here with the launch of the new incubator for data science and tech start-ups at Manchester Technology Centre.”
As part of its commitment to the local community, Sisk is working closely with the multi-award winning community engagement specialists ‘Mancunian Way’ which was set up after the Manchester riots in the summer of 2011 and now works on projects that get to heart of social issues, empower people to make positive informed choices, build resilience and constantly promote personal responsibility.
