Mamma Mia! The Party tops the bill for Manchester
The latest part of Manchester City’s £300m Medlock Square entertainment complex is tipped for approval next week, along with a Cornbrook office conversion and a North Manchester mosque.
Manchester City Council’s planning committee meets on 11 June.
Mamma Mia: The Party! (application reference 145358/FO/2026)
Manchester City FC is the applicant on the latest leisure proposal at Eastlands, working with a team including planner Deloitte and architect PRP on a 600-capacity venue.
The team also includes Hoare Lea, Turner & Townsend, Griffiths Evans, Norris Green Design, Calibre Consulting, Planit, Greengage, Arup, GHD, and RS Security.
The plan has been billed as ‘Project Taverna’. Credit: planning documents
As set out in PRP’s design & access statement, the proposal is to use a plot used as a compound for the recent North Stand development, creating a new-build three-storey, permanent “shell and core” building designed as an adaptable home for immersive entertainment experiences.
The plans were originally revealed in March.
Tenants, such as MMTP, will occupy the space for contracted periods, internally theming the interior to create the environment suitable for their specific shows. The client brief aims to initially meet MMTP’s specific needs while baking in future flexibility through a reconfigurable design.
MCC’s officer report outlines how the venue would be sited to the east of the stadium, close to and prominent from Alan Turing Way, a siting described as appropriate in the context.
Cornbrook Enterprise Centre conversion (reference 144151/FO/2025)
This 5,595 sq ft application covers part of a former school, more recently used as offices, with the applicant looking to establish a SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) school, for a maximum of 30 pupils and 20 staff.
The applicant for the Quenby Road proposal is Supreme Start, working with Northedge Architecture.
Three objections have been received from residents, largely relating to parking and congestion in what is a residential area, as well as an objection from ward councillor Cllr Lee Glover, who raises a number of points, including queries on demonstrated need, and an over-reliance on internal space for physical activity.
Comments have also been received from a local business.
Winterford Road mosque (reference 141545/FO/2024)
Also in line for approval are plans designed by Seed Architects for the demolition of a mosque and its replacement at Winterford Road in Cheetham Hill.
In building a new part two- and part three-storey place of worship and education centre, Al Sunnah Mosque wants to increase its footprint to 13,600 sq ft, which would be an increase of around 7,000 sq ft on the current 1970s-built one- and two-storey structure.
Facilities would include, at ground floor level, a prayer room, two classrooms, Iman’s office and associated washing and toilet facilities; with a further prayer room, meeting room and associated washing and toilet facilities at first floor level. The second-floor element would accommodate three further classrooms, a multi-functional space, an IT room, office and toilets.
Seed Architects has designed the scheme. Credit: planning documents
The Etihad area needs more parking
By Anonymous
Exactly what we need more mega mosques
By Anonymous
The mosque looks great! Lovely design!
By Mosque Design
Access to and from the Etihad is awful. Needs a rethink
By Pek
Mosque isn’t in Gorton/Reddish its in Cheetham Hill. Writer has got the road name wrong in the report.
By Anonymous
You are correct. We have updated the story accordingly. Apologies for the error.
By Julia Hatmaker
The Bee Network needs to serve Etihad Campus far better. No bike hire, poor bus frequency during events, Metrolink at max capacity.
By Anonymous
… now!
By Etihad needs a rail station
The mosque looks horrendous..
By Anonymous
Mosque application is in Cheetham, not Gorton/Reddish.
Replacement of former estate pub, which has been a mosque for a number of years.
By Anonymous
Transport around the Ethihad and Co-op live seems weirdly under-developed as it is. I hope there’s a plan to strengthen it as it seemed to be creaking at the seams last time I went
By Anonymous
Jesus Christ no no no no because Etihad is need a space for future generations which is very important for everyone in the East Manchester 👍🏻
By G J Kitchener
I agree that the mosque looks good, I also agree that transport links to the Etihad is really poor. Need more trams, buses and if possible a train line.
By Anonymous
Steve gets a hard time on here for forgetting to put the transport infrastructure in place for Bramley Moore, but nobody seems to ask why on Andy’s watch, Co-op Live and now likely this are in the same place as the expanded Etihad with just a modest increase in trams that are still crush-loaded and the suggestion people should walk to/from town, meaning it can be chaos when no events are on the same day.
Also parking, as thousands of people still drive regardless of the disapproval of others, and sometimes because if the lack of better practical options.
It’s particularly horrendous for anyone with accessibility needs, but also ordinary punters using the Ashton line.
By Anonymous
Wow that mosque is so in keeping and doesn’t look tacky at all
By Anonymous
The sports city campus has major public transport failures. The trams and buses are simply inadequate. In the short-term bigger and more frequent trams and buses are required for events at the stadium or the coop arena. In the longterm a rail link or an underground system is needed.
By Anonymous
I can’t understand why Metrolink don’t build a multi story ‘park and ride’ with cycle and EV charging points as a transport hub at the Etihad Campus, similar to the one in Ancoats, that can also be used during peak times for events.
By Anonymous
The tram system on match days at the Etihad and at Old Trafford needs to be improved particularly on Sundays when it is a complete failure. Similarly Co-op Live should have made some form of contribution to strengthening the tram and bus services to and from this Arena – has it??
By Anonymous