Manchester finds its oasis with Definitely Mayfield
“We do things differently, we do it with rebellious charm
“Radical courage; riotous class.
“An illustrious future built on an industrious past:
“Welcome to Manchester – catalyst capital of Earth.
“Where brains meets balls to birth world firsts.”
The Mancunian spoken word poetry of Argh Kid kicked off the showcasing of U+I’s Mayfield development, which Manchester City Council’s chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein described to the MIPIM audience as “a unique opportunity”.
The poem, Manchester’s Sprawling, tweaked the Oasis song title as it looked towards a “Definitely Mayfield” future to set the tone for the international property audience.
Richard Upton, deputy chief executive of developer U+I, said: “We don’t do sterile, soulless places – the places where you have to check your phone to see which city of country you are in,” before adding “there’s a whole bunker of that stuff over there,” gesturing towards the main conference building.
Manchester does things differently, with that Mancunian swagger that other cities envy but claim to not want to copy.
Its £850m Mayfield development promises 7,500 jobs, 1,300 homes, 800,000 sq ft of offices close to the city’s Piccadilly railway station.
But Upton and his team is promising much more.
“Our proposal showed how we can knit the past into the present to create the future,” he said.
“It’s the most exciting regeneration project in the city by a boat ride. It’s going to deliver a place with a real sense of belonging.”
The 24-acre site was home to the Mayfield railway station, which opened in 1910, and before that printing firm Thomas Hoyle & Sons attracted dignitaries from Russia and Zanzibar who came to marvel at its innovations.
Upton said: “To me, Thomas Hoyle & Sons are a really great example of the spirit of Mayfield. We want people to feel that spirit, that they can do absolutely anything.”
He is unlimited by his aspiration for the new city centre quarter.
“I want Mayfield to attract the next Google, to be the home of disruptive companies that are yet to be,” he said.
