Market halls to be brought into active use as part of new Campfield project

Developer Allied London is to launch Campfield, the area between Spinningfields and Castlefield as a 130,000 sq ft tech campus across three buildings, and including two iconic Victorian market halls, to be managed by Department, a flexible workspace operator.

The space has been endorsed by Manchester City Council as part of their ‘Culture in the City’ project, and it will sit alongside Aviva Studios, Bonded Warehouse and Manchester Goods Yard in the St. John’s district. 

Internal view of how Campfield will look

Michael Ingall, Chief Executive of Allied London, said: “Campfield will provide creative, tech and media businesses with the infrastructure and facilities they need to grow and develop. Importantly, it will once again be open for social gatherings and for the public to enjoy. The project will see these historically significant buildings given a new life and fully equipped to play an integral part in the next generation of artistic and creative output from the city’s new creative district.”

Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, speaking about the disused market hall between the Science Museum and Deansgate, said: “Campfield is a much-loved historic site that has sat empty and underutilised for so long. We’ve been supporting this project from the start, bringing these important heritage buildings brought back into active use, supporting the city’s ongoing growth and boosting employment opportunities in some of the city’s key emerging sectors.”

She added: “This new hub is another example of creating a supportive ecosystem where businesses can start-up, scale-up and thrive. It’s great to see this scheme come to life, bringing a renewed energy to Campfield.”

The campus will also host tech accelerator Exchange, the growth programme designed to support both start-ups and scale-ready businesses, that has operated out of its Bonded Warehouse space on the old Granada Studios site.

Businesses that have been through the programme include PixelMax, Financielle, Sparkbox, Versori and Housr and Exchange claims to have supported over 200 businesses, and secured £15 million in funding and raised £78 million globally.