Wythenshawe town centre conversation launched as plans for Culture Hub revealed

Manchester City Council and placemaker Muse have kick-started engagement around the ambitious £500m plans to transform Wythenshawe town centre.

Muse was selected last summer to deliver the plans which will see Civic – the town’s shopping centre – restored with a new Culture Hub, food hall, public square and flexible workspaces.

The longer term plans will see up to 2,000 new homes, including significant affordable housing, delivered over the next ten years.

The Civic works, which are being funded through £20m funding from the Government and a further £11.9m from the council are set to start later this year, subject to planning approval.

The plans include a larger public square and improved outdoor spaces with new paving and more plants to make the town centre a much greener and more pleasant space.

Following consultation last year by the council around the Culture Hub, a planning application has now been submitted. The aim is to boost the arts and creative industries in Wythenshawe, creating both grassroots opportunities and pathways to employment in the arts sector.

The new hub will include space for food and drink on the ground floor with the first floor home to a mix of flexible community and studio spaces, for workshops, exhibitions, classes or community events.

On the second floor a new performance space will host up to 200 people and include everything budding performers need, including rehearsal rooms, studios and changing rooms. If the plans are approved, construction will start in summer 2025 with the hub opening in late 2026.

Civic is also set to see a new, bustling food hall spilling out onto the public square and new workspaces for independent start-ups and growing local businesses.

Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “For decades, Civic has been at the heart of Wythenshawe – and our vision will make sure it remains so for decades to come. But this isn’t just about new shops. This is a £500m transformational project that will create a destination in the community, new jobs, new housing, including lots of council, social and genuinely affordable homes, cultural space and food hall that will keep local people and visitors coming back.

“As we continue to discover what Civic and the wider town centre needs in the coming years, we will need to keep the conversation going with local people, because it’s the feedback from the people who use Civic every day that will make sure we invest in what the community needs in the years to come.”

Joe Stockton, senior development manager from Muse, said: “Our plans will grow Wythenshawe with the community and for the community, with activity starting to happen very soon.

“This is one of the UK’s biggest regeneration projects which could see over £500m invested in the town, providing opportunities for local people, a mix of affordable homes that keep families together and new spaces for people to meet and socialise. We want local people to help shape the future of the town, so we’ll be out in the community over the coming months to find out what matters to them.”

Local people are being urged to get involved and help shape the future of the town. A drop-in event is being held at The Forum on Saturday, April 26 (11am-3pm) where the team will be updating on the plans for the Culture Hub and seeking feedback on what people want to see in the food hall, workspaces and future plans for new homes.

In the spring, ‘Open Space’ will be launched at Unit 10, The Birtles, next to the former market. It will be a new meeting point in Civic where people will be able to chat to the team and find out more about the plans.

To get involved in the community conversation:

• Meet the team at The Forum on April 26
• Visit www.wythenshawetowncentre.co.uk
• Email info@wythenshawetowncentre.co.uk
• Pick up a Civic Pride newspaper in local community centres and other locations in the town centre
• Fill in a questionnaire on the website or in the newspaper and pop it in the letterbox at Open Space
• Call 0800 689 1095 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5:30pm)
• Follow social channels – Instagram @WythenshaweTownCentre | Facebook WythenshaweTownCentre