Manchester’s £110m Factory approved

The £110m Factory arts centre at the centre of Allied London’s St John’s project in Manchester has been granted planning permission. Factory, which is on the site of the former Granada TV studios, is the cultural anchor of the £1.5bn new neighbourhood in the Spinningfields Quarter. Designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture, the venue will be the home of Manchester’s International Festival and will include a 1,800-seat theatre and large, flexible studio space. MIF will operate the venue as well as continuing to deliver the festival every two years. Former chancellor George Osborne pledged £78m of government money in 2014 as part of his Northern Powerhouse agenda. The investment was confirmed this week by HM Treasury after the full business case for the project was approved. Construction is due to begin in spring 2017.  The project is OMA’s first major public building in the UK and is led by project partners Ellen van Loon and Rem Koolhaas, founder of OMA. Allied London chief executive Mike Ingall, said: “The St John’s neighbourhood has a storied past, rich with culture, creative spirit and radical new thinking. “With Factory onsite as our cultural anchor, St John’s will now become home to the city’s next generation of arts, creativity and contemporary cultural experiences, completely transforming Manchester’s cultural output and standing.” • To send feedback, e-mail louisa.clarence-smith@estatesgazette.com or tweet @LouisaClarence or @estatesgazette