Co-op swaps parking for playing at NOMA site

A staff car park in the Co-operative Group's 20-acre estate in Manchester city centre is to be converted into two sports pitches, due to open to the public in April as part of the place-making aspiration for the NOMA development.

The 60-space surface car park off Miller Street, next to the CIS Tower, will be marketed to workers and residents as the first facility of its kind in the city centre.

Co-op staff will be able to park at One Angel Square, the giant new HQ where there is spare parking capacity, instead.

A spokesman for NOMA said: "As NOMA develops we will continue to explore opportunities to create amenities which will benefit residents and workers alike. In this case two recreational sports facilities on land to the right of the CIS tower on Miller Street.

"This is a great new facility in Manchester city centre that reduces the need for a lot of people working and living here to drive significant distances to access sports facilities.

"This project will also benefit local schools, as our partners in the development – Activate – have a long history of engaging with education providers to provide health and well-being advice.

"The sports facilities are part of NOMA's place making strategy, and are an intermediate use of the land designed to create character and drive footfall. Over time this area will eventually be given over to office use."

The spokesman continued: "Prior to starting the NOMA redevelopment, this part of Manchester city centre had in the region of 1,350 car parking spaces. It is our intention that once complete the area will still have the same amount of car parking, alongside significantly improved public transport, thanks to the redevelopment of Victoria Station and the improvements to the Metrolink."

NOMA is the £800m scheme to redevelop 20 acres of the northern part of Manchester city centre. The 10-year programme will create a mixed-use district, incorporating office space, residential, and leisure facilities.