Contractor named for Manchester creative centre

Willmott Dixon has been appointed by the LTE Group for a £54M contract to build the first phase of The Manchester College’s ambitious estates strategy, to provide a learning centre of excellence for creative and digital industries across Greater Manchester.

The four-storey development is on the site of the city’s former Boddingtons brewery opposite Manchester Arena. It will house two cutting-edge industry-standard theatres, film studios, media, computing and editing suites, plus recording and photography studios, dance studios and rehearsal rooms as well as bespoke practical spaces for hospitality, media make-up and special effects.

The new facility for The Manchester College’s further education provision and UCEN Manchester’s higher education courses is designed by award-winning Bond Bryan and SimpsonHaugh architects, with the aim of creating a distinctive identity for the college, open for the first students to walk through the doors in September 2022.

John Thornhill, Chief Executive at LTE Group: “We are delighted to appoint Willmott Dixon to deliver this ambitious build strategy which is the catalyst for growth in education and skills across Greater Manchester. It comes at a time of economic and employment uncertainty, and will underpin the development of the region’s thriving media, creative and digital industries and will stimulate job creation and new company start-ups across the North West.”

Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal at The Manchester College said “This new city centre campus encapsulates our vision to provide learning that is focused on industry excellence, equipping students with the skills they need to access highly-skilled careers in the digital and creative sectors.”