AS many people with an eye to property will know we have a new ‘development partnership’ in the city: MQL (Manchester Quays Limited).
We will seek to protect the heritage assets and ensure this whole area is developed in a holistic and sensitive way. At the heart of our plans is the intention to create a new sense of place and community.
This is a partnership between Allied London and Manchester City Council – a classic public private partnership. The pair has signed a deal conditional on planning consent to purchase ITV’s 13.5 acre Quay Street complex in Manchester City Centre for £26.5m.
For those of a historical bent the name gives a cute nod to the Old Quay Company on the same site from 1735.
The idea is to redevelop the area into a mixed-use destination within the next two years. Of course with a city centre scheme anything else but a mixed-use role would be illogical.
Granada site (right middle distance) from on high in Beetham Tower
Planning permission for the changes will be set in motion once the remaining ITV staff and Coronation Street Production team move to their rapidly finishing new home at Media City some time next year.
But get that time frame.
MQL want to redevelop the 13.5 acres ‘within the next two years’. Wow. Two years. Speedy.
Michael Ingall, Chief Executive at Allied London, said: “We have considered the future of the ITV estate on several occasions and our long standing relationship with ITV has enabled us to acquire what we believe to be an exceptional real estate opportunity. We have taken control of over 800,000 sq ft of existing mixed use real estate with various options for future occupation. The estate extends to some 13.5 acres and has development potential of in excess of 3m sq ft., which we intend to bring forward in partnership with Manchester City Council.
“Our vision is to promote the creation of a completely new mixed-use quarter for Manchester city centre at the River Irwell, bounded by Quay Street and Liverpool Road, and produce a masterplan that integrates the established areas within the site with proposed new development.
"This area of the city is rich in heritage, history and character, and we intend to make sure this makes a valuable contribution to our thinking on design and development. We will seek to protect the heritage assets and ensure this whole area is developed in a holistic and sensitive way. At the heart of our plans is the intention to create a new sense of place and community.”
Corrie set for a another disaster
Nice words but what Ingall doesn’t refer to directly is the Coronation Street set – the retention of which caused debate on Confidential a couple of years ago, here, although listing was subsequenty refused by English Heritage. We think the set should be retained in the city centre as a tourist attraction. Manchester's role in popular television since World War II is after all unrivalled.
The press release about the development does have some information though.
‘Coronation Street continues to film at the Quay Street site and will move to its new MediaCityUK set and production base at a date to be agreed. Construction on the new 7.7 acre Coronation Street site at MediaCityUK is expected to continue until the end of 2013. The parties will explore options for various temporary uses of the Quay Street site during the public consultation period.’
Temporary uses.
This doesn’t sound too good for that venerable TV set in the city centre, the set which David Jones of Cavern City Tours in Liverpool in our original article said this about: "There'd be no excuse not to keep it. It's there already. Nothing has to be re-built as it had to with the Cavern. This isn't the sixties or the seventies, there is a huge tourist infrastructure in Manchester today. The Corrie set could bring in thousands of visitors. It would be a sin to get rid of it, inexplicable. You couldn't make an excuse for losing that revenue now and getting rid of it."
Confidential as stated above agrees. But will the property lords see it the same way? Will the axe fall on Coronation Street?
From the subtle undertones in the press statements you have to think that is exactly what will happen.
We asked a question....
So what are the exact terms of the deal between Allied London and the City Council, how is the money split?
The Council reply was: 'The exact terms of the deal are subject to commercial confidentiality so there's very little we are in a position to say. We have not committed any capital to the deal, we have contributed land we own at Albert's Shed, the gateway to this strategic site, and a small triangle of land near the ITV building (which is known as the Globe and Simpson site) to enable MQL to bring forward a more comprehensive development.'
This Albert's Shed is not the same one as the pub in Castlefield by the way, but the one on the River Irwell in Granada land.
The reply went on to quote Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council. He said: "Being part of MQL gives us the influence to be satisfied that we can help deliver a comprehensive scheme which will deliver significant value to the city."
Albert Shed site is on the right, the dark building, after the Marriott hotel walkway
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