Manchester’s Space Project to expand
Manchester City Council has officially granted planning permission for a £14m expansion of The Space Project in Manchester.
Situated in West Gorton, east of the city, the facility is now set to double in size under the new scheme, creating 275 jobs and boosting the local economy by around £10m a year.
The 17-acre site will house more than 90,000 sq ft of new buildings for film and TV production and related support activities, including a 30,000 sq ft sound stage.
The sound stage will be single storey and will also contain dressing rooms, wardrobe and make-up, a green room, production offices and catering facilities.
Once the expansion is complete, The Space Project will be home to more than 6,000 sq ft of offices and green rooms, 10,000 sq ft for set construction and a further 40,000 sq ft of business units to rent for companies who supply to the TV production industry.
Construction work will begin in January and is expected to be complete by October. PRP Architects, original designers of The Sharp Project and the Space Project, are overseeing the scheme.
Susan Woodward, founder of The Space Project, said: “The expansion of The Space Project will satisfy the nationally recognised demand for TV and film production stages as well as support space for the supply chain businesses, which will help grow the sector and allow Manchester to further develop its already prominent position within the UK for media production.”
The Space Project opened in October 2014 with funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the Homes & Communities Agency and Manchester City Council. It has been the base for several high-profile projects including Cold Feet; The A Word; Houdini and Doyle; Cradle to Grave and Boy Meets Girl.
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