750 new jobs coming to Manchester as council greenlights £60m Citylabs expansion

Manchester City Council has given the go-ahead to plans for a £60m two-phase expansion of the Citylabs biomedical campus.

Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 will be delivered by office firm Bruntwood on behalf of a joint venture between science and technology park operator Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT).

The scheme is forecast to create 750 jobs and boost Manchester’s economy by over £100m.

Designed by architects Sheppard Robson for businesses in the health and medical technology sectors, Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 will provide a mix of offices, laboratories and clinical space.

Phase one of the development, the £25m entirely new-build Citylabs 2.0, will deliver 92,000 sq ft of Grade A office and lab space. Building work will start in late 2017, with completion due in 2019.

Phase two, the £35m Citylabs 3.0, will span 128,000 sq ft and integrate new buildings with the listed Old Saint Mary’s Hospital. Construction will finish in late 2021.

MSP managing director Thomas Renn said: “We are delighted to have obtained planning consent for this important development which will meet market demand from health and medical technology companies who want to be part of Manchester’s internationally-important and dynamic Innovation District.

“Having unveiled our plans at ESOF last year, we have conducted a thorough consultation exercise and are pleased to have reached this key milestone.”

He continued: “The success of Citylabs 1.0, which was fully let within 15 months, gives us great confidence that demand will be strong for the high quality scientific and commercial space Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 will provide.

“Being located on the CMFT campus at the heart of Corridor Manchester­ a unique environment for discovery, research, collaboration and commercialisation - makes the proposition truly compelling.”

Prof. Bob Pearson, CMFT medical director, commented: “We are delighted to have been granted planning permission to expand the Citylabs cluster on our hospital campus.

“Citylabs offers a unique platform to involve clinicians and patients right at the start of the medical technology development and testing process, an approach that we believe is more likely to result in products that meet our needs.”

He added: “We are excited about the opportunities that technologies developed at Citylabs will eventually bring for patients across Manchester, as well as those receiving care through the wider NHS and other health services across the world.”

The planning application was submitted by Bruntwood on behalf of MSP.

Bruntwood’s chief development officer, Chris Roberts, said: “We are excited to move forward with the Citylabs expansion project, using the experience we gained with Citylabs 1.0 in giving an historic Grade II listed hospital building a new lease of life.

“Alongside Circle Square and the Alliance Manchester Business School developments, the expansion of Citylabs reinforces Bruntwood’s commitment to the growth of Corridor Manchester.”

Corridor Manchester’s Enterprise Zone status means occupiers of Citylabs 2.0 and 3.0 will be able to access super-fast connectivity and reduced business rates.

Bruntwood and MSP were advised by a team from Deloitte Manchester on the successful planning application.