Co-op Live opens as costs set to reach £450m
After a series of high-profile delays, the highly anticipated Manchester arena opened its doors on Tuesday to host an Elbow concert.
“We are very pleased to have opened Co-op Live for a celebratory performance by elbow on 14 May 2024,” said a spokesperson for the arena. “We are now fully focussed on delivering one of the world’s best live entertainment experiences in the UK’s largest live entertainment arena.”
Co-op Live is a 23,500-capacity arena from Oak View Group. It was initially due to open on 23 April. However, issues with the venue’s power supply and air ventilation led to delays. This saw the postponement or relocation of performances by Peter Kay, Take That, Keane, Olivia Rodrigo, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and The Black Keys.
Those issues have also led to the rising price tag for the arena, which initially was set to cost £365m. Now, Oak View Group chief executive Tim Leiweke has told the Manchester Evening News that the figure is £400m and likely to grow to £450m before all is said and done.
Despite the rising costs, Leiweke praised main contractor BAM’s work on the project. Leiweke stated that BAM had lost money by doing the job.
“BAM has been honourable. They’re finishing the project [and] they didn’t try to duck out here,” Leiweke told the MEN. “They’ve taken it on the chin… I have great admiration for BAM and the job they’ve done here, because look at how beautiful this place is.”
Place has reached out to BAM for a comment.
Elbow’s concert at Co-op Live has been praised by early reviewers, who noted that the venue is now able to move on from its troubled opening. Credit: Peter Neill, ShootTheSound
Oak View Group delivered the project in partnership with City Football Group. Turner & Townsend was the project manager and cost consultant for the arena. The project was designed by Populous.
Co-op Live is a fully electric venue, with solar panels, air source heat pumps, high-specification insulation, smart building controls, and LED lighting to help bolster its sustainability and energy efficiency credentials. The arena also harvests rainwater that is later used for flushing toilets.
Initial reviews from Tuesday’s Elbow concert heen positive, with The Telegraph, BBC, and MEN all noting that the arena has at last put its troubled past behind it.
