Manchester venue seeks permanent status in regeneration zone
Diecast, which has welcomed more than 1m visitors since opening last year, is seeking permission to remain in the former Presbar Foundry on Store Street for the long term.
The 200,000 sq ft venue’s owner A Very Inc has been behind some of Manchester’s best-known venues including Rudy’s, Ramona, and Albert Schloss and is now preparing to make the case to have Diecast become a permanent fixture in Manchester’s nightlife landscape.
The three-year planning permission secured to transform the disused foundry into a food, drink, and entertainment destination is due to expire next June. A Very Inc has launched a consultation on plans to make the venue permanent as well as adding a night market and independent shops to Diecast’s offer.
Joel Wilkinson, director at A Very Inc, said: “We’re incredibly proud of what Diecast has become: a unique cultural and creative hub where locals and visitors can gather, explore, and celebrate the very best of Manchester.
“We’re committed to making Diecast a long-term part of Manchester’s future, and this consultation is a chance for the community to help shape the next chapter of this extraordinary space.”
Have your say on the plans – www.foundry-storestreet.co.uk
A Very Inc is being advised on planning matters by Deloitte, which will have to make a strong case in favour of extending the lifespan of the venue due to its location within an area earmarked for regeneration.
Diecast is located in an area whose future development is governed by a Manchester City Council strategic regeneration framework that calls for the former foundry and adjoining Stocktons Furniture store to be redeveloped into for 550,000 sq ft of offices and 1,100 homes.
In October, plans from Liquid Funding Business and Cityside for 758 apartments on the Stocktons site emerged.
If comments the city council made when approving the three-year consent for Diecast in 2022 are anything to go by, making the venue a permanent fixture might be a hard sell with city planners.
The city council said in 2022 that “[given] the untapped regeneration potential of the site it is considered prudent to consider [Diecast] on a temporary basis only”.
Manchester City Council was contacted for comment.
It would be insane to deny Diecast permanent residency to take way for yet more big ugly office blocks that are hardly used 🙄
By Lee
This is opposite that snazzy new apartment block… lucky!
By Tony
There’s no way Diecast can stay the building it is for the forseeable and expect to just merge in to the wider regeneration. It doesn’t fit. They have known right from the outset that it was a temporary arrangement and is not viable long term
By Steve
Its become an institution within a couple of years. Will be a huge shame to see it lost to more soulless office/resi buildings.
By Anonymous
The gentrification of Manchester continues apace. Whatever happened to placemaking?
By Anonymous