Green light for creative workspaces plans for historic city centre mill

Plans to convert a Manchester mill into creative workspaces have been approved by the city council.

Developer Capital&Centric submitted its proposals for Neptune Mill, in the Piccadilly East neighbourhood, in May.

The project will see the 22,000 sq ft industrial, red-brick building on Chapeltown Street restored and transformed into four floors of workspaces above ground floor leisure space earmarked for F&B. One of the floors in the building will be reserved as a new HQ to house the social impact developer’s expanding team.

Now consented by the council, it’s expected that work could start on site by the end of the year, with the first workspaces targeted to be available by late 2024.

Newly-named after a nearby street that has long since disappeared, Neptune Mill will also boast a social hub and commercial spaces on the ground floor, with the aim to find like-minded commercial and leisure operators to open premises that will complement the workspace above such as a coffee bar, deli or general store.

Space for a mural is also included in the plans, building on existing neighbouring pieces sprayed during a street art festival, while an accessible courtyard will complete the line-up.

It will also celebrate the building’s original features such as timber beams, cast iron columns and exposed brickwork.

Located within a couple of minutes’ walking distance of the proposed new HS2 terminal, Capital&Centric will be marketing the work and ground floor spaces to prospective occupiers in early 2024, with expressions of interest open now.

Tom Wilmot, Capital&Centric, joint managing director, said: “As the city expands, enterprises are always on the hunt for the next stunning workspace that will inspire creativity and foster new ideas.

“We’re delivering that with Neptune Mill, creating the next chapter in the historic building’s story. We believe in the project so much, we’re even planning to base our own team there as part of our new HQ.”

He added: “We’ve always been massive champions of Manchester’s Piccadilly East, having delivered new hotel rooms for visitors and homes for those putting down permanent roots in the city. This is the next, exciting step for the neighbourhood, bringing in businesses and creating ground floor spaces that the community can patronise.

“We’re hoping to move pretty quickly and be on site with the restoration by the end of the year.”

Transformation of the 19th century building will be another piece of the jigsaw in the regeneration of Piccadilly East, the Manchester community named as one of the UK’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods by the Sunday Times.

Neptune abuts Capital&Centric’s previous owner-occupier communities Crusader – the restored converted Victorian mill – and Phoenix, its new-build neighbour.

Capital&Centric’s move into Piccadilly East in 2017 helped kick-start a wave of wider development. Since it took on Crusader, it has since delivered the nearby ‘jenga’ Leonardo Hotel on Great Ancoats Street, with other residential plots now rising from the ground at pace.

As well as Crusader Mill, the consented Ferrous will create additional homes on Chapeltown Street, alongside a pocket park and The Cabin, a dedicated pop-up community event space.