Manchester regen developer restores ‘faded gems’
Far East Consortium has launched an events brand as a ‘meanwhile use’ occupier for parts of its Victoria North regeneration project in Manchester.
The first sites for the Found brand include two 15,000 sq ft former industrial buildings, currently known as Love Factory at Dantzic Street; the 36,000 sq ft Red Bank Arches at Faber Street; the 2.7-acre open-air space at Bromley Street; and a two-storey venue at Irk Street, next to Angel Meadow Park.
Red Bank Arches is the only space expected to be permanently used for events and hospitality. It sits alongside the Red Bank neighbourhood, where FEC is onsite to build 4,500 new homes. Occupiers include restaurant The Sparrows, indie street food venue Grub and distillery Three Rivers Gin.
Far East Consortium has launched an events brand as a ‘meanwhile use’ occupier for parts of its Victoria North regeneration project in Manchester.
The first sites for the Found brand include two 15,000 sq ft former industrial buildings, currently known as Love Factory at Dantzic Street; the 36,000 sq ft Red Bank Arches at Faber Street; the 2.7-acre open-air space at Bromley Street; and a two-storey venue at Irk Street, next to Angel Meadow Park.
Red Bank Arches is the only space expected to be permanently used for events and hospitality. It sits alongside the Red Bank neighbourhood, where FEC is onsite to build 4,500 new homes. Occupiers include restaurant The Sparrows, indie street food venue Grub and distillery Three Rivers Gin.
The remaining three sites will be used as events venues on a temporary basis ahead of being redeveloped into residential and commercial spaces as the Victoria North masterplan progresses.
Tom Fenton, project director at FEC, said of the plans at Red Bank Arches: “We have a programme of refurbishment to change the facades and the frontage as the area regenerates and becomes more open to the public in terms of visibility. But for now, they’re all faded gems really.”
As part of the launch, FEC has agreed a 24-month lease with events specialist Connecting the Dots Group to operate Love Factory. Dots Group plans to kick off the first event, The Summer of Love Festival, over the August bank holiday weekend.
FEC has not yet signed operators for its Bromley and Irk Street venues, but Fenton said the firm’s long-term aspiration is to incubate as many entrepreneurial businesses as possible within these spaces, and that some will become tenants in the ground floor commercial spaces when residential buildings are completed.
Fenton said: “We’ve got this abundance of assets, whether buildings or parcels of land, which we can activate to get a new audience down to the neighbourhood to cement that as a place and a destination of change and regeneration.
“This is about connecting with existing communities, but it’s also connecting with different audiences within Manchester, and most importantly with some of the existing local businesses that already do work there to catapult their platforms as well as our own.”
Jake Scott-Thrale, asset manager at FEC, added: “Audiences are desperate to come back into the city to eat, drink, socialise and to hear loud music.
“Found gives us the vehicle to do that, uniting a collection of unique spaces for people seeking out authentic Manchester experiences. Each location has its own qualities that lend themselves to a whole host of different uses, and we’re looking forward to adding more as Victoria North grows and evolves.”
To send feedback, e-mail evelina.grecenko@eg.co.uk or tweet @gre_eve
Image © Far East Consortium
