Council leader welcomes park and campus scheme approval to replace city ‘eyesore’

A major government office complex bringing 7,000 civil service jobs to Manchester alongside a new urban park have been given planning consent to be built in Ancoats.

The campus will be built on the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats after the city’s planning committee approved the Government Property Agency’s (GPA) scheme at Manchester City Council planning committee today (Thursday 20 February).

It promises to bring Civil Service departments to Manchester with a focus around digital skills and create significant employment opportunities.

 Leader of the Council Bev Craig said: “Gaining planning approval for both the GPA’s digital campus and the latest city centre park is the launchpad for the transformation of this site.  

“We stand ready to work with this Government to bring forward other ambitious investments in Manchester that can continue our path of sustainable economic growth, supporting our residents to thrive. 

“At the same time, the new park is a welcome addition to our city centre green spaces and a reimagining of the former retail site that has for many years acted only as a barrier to the community behind – and an eyesore in one of the most exciting parts of our city.”

The GPA exchanged contracts to acquire five-and-a-half acres of the former Central Retail Park in Ancoats from the city council in May last year with a view to constructing a state-of-the-art digital campus.

Both the agency and Manchester City Council have been working together on the plans for Ancoats, culminating in a parallel proposal for the digital campus and an adjacent public park.

The council and the GPA held a joint consultation around emerging plans for the former retail site in August and September last year, inviting local residents, businesses and other stakeholders to help guide proposals to create the new government digital campus – delivered by the GPA – and a new city centre park space, delivered by the council.

Alongside the new campus will be a new park linking the existing Cotton Field Park behind to Ancoats and New Islington and has been designed by Planit-IE.

Mark Bourgeois, CEO at the GPA, said: “This proposed development, builds on the work MCC and the GPA undertook last year in putting in place an updated Strategic Regeneration Framework, and the shared ambition to regenerate the Ancoats former retail site, creating employment and wider business opportunities, supported by the digital campus.”