City-centre arts venue recommended for approval by planners
A futuristic multi-use arts venue designed by star architect Rem Koolhaas鈥� OMA practice is poised to win planning approval from Manchester city council.
The 拢110m Factory venue, named in honour of legendary music label Factory Records, is earmarked for part of the former Granada Studios site on the edge of the city centre and is being jointly developed by the council and developer Allied London.
It is designed to bring together a 2,300 capacity theatre and a separate 5,000-capacity warehouse space for 鈥渋mmersive鈥� events on part of the former TV studios site, which also incorporates grade II listed railway viaduct that would need to be altered for the scheme.
The Colonnaded Railway Viaduct currently hosts the 450 sq m Starlight Theatre, built for Granada Studios in the 1980s. The corrugated steel theatre building would be removed as part of the development.
Gardiner & Theobald is cost consultant and employer鈥檚 agent, Buro Happold is structural and civil engineer, Arup is acoustic engineer and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff is fire engineer.
Recommending members of Manchester鈥檚 planning and highways committee to approve the proposals, planning officers said the 13,500 sq m scheme would bring a 鈥渕ajor new cultural facility鈥� to the St John鈥檚 regeneration area and create new jobs.
They added that the impact on the Castlefield Conservation Area, where the 1.8 ha site is located, and on neighbouring listed buildings 鈥� which include the grade-I listed 1830 Warehouse, Liverpool Road Station Masters House, and 1830 Viaduct 鈥� was outweighed by the benefits Factory would bring.
鈥淭he application site is considered to be an appropriate site for this type and size of building,鈥� they said.
鈥淭he proposed scheme is a unique, high quality design of its time.
鈥淚t is acknowledged that the proposal could cause some harm to the settings of the nearby listed buildings, but that this would be less than substantial harm.
鈥淚t is considered that the harm to those settings is outweighed by the public benefits that the proposal would bring.鈥�
They added that the 鈥渆xceptional quality and design鈥� of OMA鈥檚 proposed scheme also offset any 鈥渋nstances of adverse harm鈥� and would 鈥渟ustain the heritage values of the heritage assets鈥�.
Government heritage adviser Historic England said that 鈥渟ubject to high quality materials, finishes and execution鈥�, Factory had the potential to enhance its part of the conservation area by 鈥渙pening it up to the public and being a cultural focal point鈥� to bring in more visitors.
Manchester Conservation Areas and Historic 好色先生TVs Panel also raised no objections to the proposals but suggested that the venue should be moved further from the site鈥檚 listed arches to create more 鈥渃irculation space鈥� around the new building and reduce the 鈥渋ntrusion鈥� on the existing structures.
OMA beat a high-profile shortlist of Zaha Hadid, Diller Scofidio & Renfro, Haworth Tompkins, Bennetts, Grimshaw, local practice Simpson Haugh, Dutch firm Mecanoo and Rafael Vinoly to win the project in 2015.
The council鈥檚 planning and highways committee meets to consider the proposals on Thursday.
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