Plans Approved for Factory Flagship Cultural Venue, Manchester Blooloop

The plans for Factory, a flagship cultural venue in Manchester, have been approved.

Designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), construction on Factory will begin in Spring 2017. The venue is located on the site of the former Granada TV Studios and will form part of the new St. John’s neighbourhood, under development by Allied London in partnership with Manchester City Council.

Factory is named after Tony Wilson’s Factory Records. The venue will hold up to 5, 000 people and provide a permanent home for the Manchester International Festival (MIF) who will also operate the venue. Factory is intended to become a focal point for the creative industries outside London.

In a statement, the Rt Hon Matt Hancock, Minister of State for Digital & Culture, said, “I want to blast open access to the very best world-class art and culture we have to offer in this country. So we’re investing £78 million into Factory in Manchester that will provide a further boost to the brilliant arts, culture and technology scene in the North. On top of that, it will also help local tourism, generate jobs and provide training opportunities for the next generation of British creatives.”

Tom Bloxham, Chairman, Manchester International Festival (MIF) added, “This is a great show of confidence in the cultural future of the North. In just five festivals Manchester International Festival has established itself as one of the major international arts festivals, and we are delighted to now be able to add to the city’s and the country’s cultural offer all year round through our programming at Factory.”