Manchester approves Ducie Street Warehouse food hall

A new rival to the likes of Mackie Mayor and Society has been given the go-ahead.

The company behind Edinburgh Street Food wants to transform the ground floor of the grade two-listed Ducie Street Warehouse into a 15,000 sq ft dining destination to rival the city’s growing cohort of similar venues.

Manchester Street Food, run by Ben MacMillan and Andrew Marshall, submitted an application to the city council seeking permission to rework the ground floor of Ducie Street Warehouse to create a food hall with around 500 covers in September.

No objections or representations were received during the statutory consultation period.

The scheme would see the large central bar and meeting rooms to the rear of the space removed. Ten kitchens would be installed around a central seating area and the venue would also utilise the building’s external terrace and feature two bar areas.

The existing cinema would be retained.

The applicants predict the scheme could generate £10m GVA and attract 600,000 visitors annually, according to a statement by consultant Turley.

Competition for customers in the Manchester food hall world is hotting up. In July, Market Place has signed a 15-year lease to operate a dining destination out of the ground floor of AM Alpha’s former Debenhams on Market Street in 2027.

Meanwhile, Mackie Mayor, Society, and New Century, are all a short distance away from one another.

MacMillan and Marshall plan to open the venue in 2026 and are actively looking at other UK cities, according to the Edinburgh Street Food website.

To learn more about the project, search for reference number 143830/FO/2025 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.