‘Whitehall of the North’ masterplan revealed

MANCHESTER could soon be home to a “Whitehall of the North West” as plans for a new civil service campus by Piccadilly Station are announced today.

The government is to fund a feasibility study into the scheme, which would bring together civil servants in key departments across Greater Manchester, as well as attracting jobs from London.

More than 5,000 civil servants could be based on the Mayfield campus by 2014.

The Government Office for the North West, the Highways Agency and the Training and Development Agency are already due to move into Piccadilly Gate, close to Mayfield, in 2010. The Training and Development Agency is bringing more than 300 jobs from London.

The new proposal would expand this into a campus containing 700,000 sq ft of office space, accommodating civil servants currently in leased offices across Greater Manchester.

The campus would be at the heart of a new mixed-use quarter, including streets and spaces within a parkland setting.

Regional minister Beverley Hughes said: “This is potentially very significant news for Manchester and for the North West. The Government is committed to moving civil service jobs away from London and the development of the site alongside Piccadilly Station presents a real opportunity for the city to seize the initiative.

“This also opens up the possibility of regenerating an important part of the city centre. I know plans are well advanced for Piccadilly Gate and this is a natural extension of that exciting project.”

Colin Sinclair, chief executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, said: “Our city region offers the largest catchment area of top quality employees outside of London, with excellent transport links to the capital and the rest of the country. This latest investment represents the next important step towards Manchester confirming our place as a top ten European business location.”

Next steps will include canvassing government tenants for the campus and preparing a masterplan for the wider Piccadilly Station area, extending to the inner ring road to the south, Aytoun Street to the north and Whitworth Street to the west.

Chris Fletcher, deputuy chief executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce said: “This is great news for Manchester. It will bring new jobs and confirm Manchester’s claim to be the country’s second city.

“The move should also help to correct the imbalance between London and the rest of the UK. Far too many government departments are based in the capital, which has traditionally meant decisions are based on the needs of London and the south east at the expense of the rest of the country.”