ITV redevelopment to start next year
DEVELOPER Allied London has fleshed out its concept for a “modern village” at the former ITV Granada site in Manchester.
The 13-acre area, which stretches from Quay Street to the Museum of Science and Industry, will be mainly residential, but Allied London’s chief executive, Mike Ingall, is keen to see the former Granada headquarters building transformed into a hotel and entertainment complex and other areas nurture small businesses.
He is hoping to make a start in autumn 2015 on the first phase – the remodelled Granada HQ, 60,000 sq ft of offices, a revamped bonded warehouse, and 100 homes.
This is expected to cost £70m-£100m but Mr Ingall expects it to be “quite easy” to fund. The second stage will see the Globe & Simpson building at the lower end of Quay Street redeveloped along with Albert’s Shed on the River Irwell as an office and 350 apartments project. A second “village” area will follow before a series of residential towers between Water Street and the river in 2018.
The group, which developed nearby Spinningfields, has commissioned architect Ian Simpson to draw up a masterplan and his proposals include a mix of tall residential blocks along the river with smaller five to six-storey buildings set out along narrow streets that it’s envisaged will house start-ups and other independent businesses such as micro-brewers and bakers. In a video he described the area as having, “ginnels, alleys and routes that create unexpected experiences as you make your way through”.
The Coronation Street set will make way for housing but a number of ITV buildings will be retained including the bonded warehouse and Granada’s former headquarters building and studio complex. This was the first purpose built TV studio building in the country and is where The Beatles made their TV debut in 1962. More recently it was the location of the first live General Election debate in 2010. Mr Ingall wants to see a Miami-style hotel that will host live events in the four large studios.
He said: “It’s a new neighbourhood. We’re trying to bring back a weave of smaller scale streets. We tried to focus on keeping the buildings that we believe have heritage and some architectural merit. We plan to keep this building [former Granada HQ] and all of the studios. They’re not listed but we believe they’ve got heritage value. They’ve got some value because of what they are.”
Allied will also keep a small building, once used as a creche, at the Coronation Street set entrance that could become a cultural centre reflecting the site’s past. A neighbouring garden will be retained and a boundary wall removed to create more open space. The bonded warehouse is likely to be an incubator space for start-ups and may be a centre for online retailers that want a city centre presence.
Mr Ingall is keen to attract smaller businesses with cheap rents. He told the audience: “What we believe we can do in an estate with 500,000 sq ft of commercial space is to find 30-40,000 sq ft to support people, because if they do well you’re bringing future occupiers. If you can’t afford the rent but have a good idea we’re happy to offer support.”
Allied agreed a £26.5m deal for the 13.5-acre site through a joint venture with the city council called Manchester Quays Ltd last year, following ITV’s move to MediaCityUK. It already has outline consent for 1.2m sq ft of offices, 200,000 sq ft of retail, 895 homes and a 575-space car park, but the developer will submit fresh plans.
