Property firm plan to create new business hub at former mill

A new business community housed in hundreds of shipping containers is being planned for Manchester city centre.

Property management firm Meanwhile Creative as earmarked a site at a former mill near Ancoats for the scheme.

The plan is to create 300 new workspaces for small businesses at the derelict site in Pollard Street East.

The £1m project already has 30 ready-to-work containers ready to go for entrepreneurs, sole traders and creatives.

And there is enough space for a total of 300 units which would create one of the biggest creative and small business community hubs in the city.

The landlords plan to offer flexible monthly rolling contracts to new businesses.

Meanwhile Creative currently operate nine other shared workspace sites in Bristol and Cardiff for 250 businesses supporting 1,250 workers.

The firm’s founder founder and managing director Fred Wyatt said: “Having trialled the concept in smaller cities, we found there was a real appetite for affordable spaces and Manchester with its rich industrial history was my dream location for our next move.

“Our aim is to support enterprise through providing inexpensive premises for businesses to flourish.

“A lot of our tenants sign up for a month to test the water and don’t really think of themselves as having a business when they first join us.

“To still see some of them with us five years down the line is fantastic.”

Small pilot project containers will cost just £160 a month and large pilot project containers £280 a month.

Following the pilot project, monthly costs will increase to around £250-270 a month and £400-£425 a month.

The first Pollard Yard open day is due to take place at the end of the month.