Plans in for Mayfield events hub

A former depot near Piccadilly Station could be transformed into an events hub under new plans submitted to Manchester City Council.The Mayfield Partnership is behind the application, which it has drawn up in collaboration with Vibration Group and Ground Control. The former is one of the UK’s largest events companies, while the latter is a live music specialist.Proposed is space for theatre, dance, art and other performance-related events, along with food and bar pop-ups, retail, marketing office, administrative and back of house space.The West Chamber would comprise a market hall which would host a variety of street food, restaurant concepts and curated retail. This would have capacity for 4,324 people.The East and Central Chambers would accommodate live music, experiential and cultural space, and have capacity for 6,247 and 7,383 people respectively.The 134,500 sq ft venue is already being lined up to host a number of events, including the Manchester International Festival in July, Manchester Pride Live in August and The Warehouse Project towards the end of the year.Subject to approval, the facility will also host some of the free civic events that have previously taken place in Albert Square, which is due to be closed for some time while the Town Hall refurbishment works are taking place.Permission is sought for the Mayfield site to operate for five years.A 30-acre site, the wider Mayfield scheme will comprise 1,300 homes, office space, a 350-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities, and a new city park upon completion.