Bruntwood and The University of Manchester have been granted planning permission for phase two of the £50 million redevelopment of Manchester Business School (MBS). The phase two redevelopment of the existing precinct centre will create a 40,500 sq ft retail, food and leisure offer, complementing the new 326-room hotel and enhanced Manchester Business School Executive Education Centre. Both are being developed as part of phase one, which was granted planning consent in April 2013 with construction starting on-site later this month.
The approved plans will create up to 15 units ranging in size from 1,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft, with double-height glazed frontages onto Oxford Road. The variety of units will create a mixed offer of retail, food and leisure for students, staff and visitors to the University and Business School, the significant working population on and around Oxford Road and the local residents.
Commenting on the granting of planning permission, Toby Sproll, Head of Retail and Leisure at Bruntwood, said: “Securing planning consent for phase two of the Manchester Business School redevelopment makes the scheme a very real proposition, which is reflected in the strength of demand we have already received. Our focus now is on selecting the right mix of retail and leisure for the students, staff, workers and local residents for whom Manchester Business School will be a new focal point in the Oxford Road corridor.”
Works on the redevelopment will begin in 2015, with the development set to open in mid-2016. The wider scheme of MBS refurbishment works will be completed in phases with the final phase due for completion in early 2018.
Tushingham Moore has been appointed by Bruntwood and The University of Manchester as the leasing agents for the scheme.