Groundbreaking ceremony for Manchester’s £110m arts building
A groundbreaking ceremony has taken place to mark the official start of work on Manchester’s £110m arts complex which is set to transform the site of the old Granada Studios.
The economic impact of The Factory will be “considerable”, it is claimed, creating or supporting 1,500 full-time jobs and adding £1.1bn to the city’s economy over a decade.
John Glen, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, Tom Bloxham chair Manchester International Festival, and Sir Nicholas Serota, chair Arts Council England, were among those who attended the ceremony for the flagship cultural venue designed by architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).
Manchester International Festival artist Laurie Anderson devised a special performance for the ceremony.
Sir Richard said: “This is an historic moment in the creation of what will be a major new cultural asset.
“Not only will the range, scope and scale of cultural opportunities The Factory will provide be unrivalled under one roof, the impact it is set to have on arts education and the development of creative and technical talent will be both unique and significant.
“It’s what the arts world has been waiting for.”
Manchester International Festival will be the operator for the building as well as continuing to deliver the Festival every two years.
The total capital costs of the project are £110m. The project was recently awarded major funding by Arts Council England including £7m capital from the Lottery fund and £9m annual revenue from 2018-22.
The capital funding will be paid to Manchester City Council. The total capital cost of the project is £110m comprising £78m Exchequer funding, up to £20m from Manchester City Council contribution, the Lottery funding announced and a minimum fundraising target of £5m.
Manchester International Festival, the operator for Factory, has been awarded £9.730m pa of which £9m is for The Factory and £730,000 is for the continuation of the biennial festival.
Rem Koolhaas, founder OMA, Sir Nicholas Serota chair Arts Council England, Ellen van Loon partner OMA, Sir Richard Leese Leader of Manchester City Council, Tom Bloxham chair Manchester International Festival, John Glen MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, pictured at the groundbreaking event for The Factory
