Circle Square retail and leisure pop-up given go-ahead

Plans to transform a vacant courtyard area adjacent to Manchester Technology Centre at Circle Square into a retail and leisure pop-up have been approved.

Hatch will be created under the Mancunian Way on Oxford Road after a planning application from property company Bruntwood was granted by Manchester City Council.

It will occupy the space under the city’s iconic flyover, offering a range of pop-up and semi-permanent retail fixtures designed to attract aspiring entrepreneurs and established traders looking to try something new.

Artisan coffee house, Takk, based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, has been confirmed as the first customer and will set up two 1,000 sq ft units on the site which will include an espresso bar alongside a nano brewery and bar called Öl.

Other opportunities across nine further units include four food and beverage outlets of 80 sq ft, and five retail units from 80 – 240 sq ft.

Philip Hannaway co-owner of Takk said: “We’re excited to bring two new concepts to Hatch, an espresso bar and also to introduce Takk’s baby brother Öl, a nano brewery and keg bar. Öl’s nano brewery is a collaboration with Byrne the Cake Brewery, and we can’t wait to serve our own brews alongside a selection of beers from some of the world’s best breweries.”

Hatch will help to establish Circle Square, Bruntwood’s £750m joint venture with Select Property, as a leisure destination and provide a major boost to the Oxford Road Corridor community.

Due to open in December, it will be curated, operated and managed by the team behind Bruntwood’s Afflecks, the iconic Northern Quarter shopping emporium.

James Tootle, retail surveyor at Bruntwood said: “Now that Hatch has been granted planning permission we are excited to bring it to life at Circle Square.

“We look forward to welcoming Takk and Öl to the scheme and invite other operators, innovators and start-ups, to get in touch.

“Hatch will be the first step in providing a boost to the existing retail and leisure offer on the Oxford Road Corridor and transforming this area into a destination for people to visit.”

On completion the flagship Circle Square development, of which Hatch is a part, will include over 1m sq ft of commercial office space, 1,281 new homes, 100,000 sq ft of 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.