Capital & Centric unveils Salford spec scheme

MANCHESTER property developer Capital & Centric has submitted plans for a £6m speculative business park opposite Ordsall Hall in Salford.

The business is seeking permission for a 40,000 sq ft scheme with 12 units aimed at digital and creative businesses which it has dubbed Digital Village.

The five-acre site, close to the Soapworks redevelopment of the former Colgate-Palmolive factory, is owned by the council and is currently empty. It sits oposite the grade I-listed Ordsall Hall.

Drawings for the AEW-designed scheme show it will be divided by a public space running from Ordsall Lane to the Ship Canal where there will be a mooring for a planned water taxi service between Manchester and Salford Quays.

Capital & Centric director Tim Heatley said: “It’s a combination of offices and warehousing for people who need more than just office space. We don’t think there’s anything that caters for the modern occupier, especially in the tech sector where they might need access to things like 3D printers and superfast broadband.

“Existing business parks and employment space doesn’t really accommodate what modern occupiers want and we see that as a great opportunity to bring that forward on the edge of the city centre in a way that also ties into MediaCityUK.

Capital & Centric is nearing completion on another speculative business park in Speke, south Liverpool. It is developing the 65,000 sq ft scheme in a joint venture with Nelson-based construction firm Barnfield.