Manchester City details first phase of Etihad Campus
Manchester City FC proposes to develop 80 acres near its ground to create a youth academy and first team training facility.
Public consultation started on Monday into the plans and will last until September, after which a detailed planning application will be submitted. An outline consent was granted in June to allow for remediation work to begin in the summer.
The new facility will be able to accommodate 400 young players in the academy, with on site accommodation, 16 pitches and a 7,000-capacity stadium.
There will also be a first team building with changing rooms, gym, refectory and injury and rehab centre.
A new bridge will link the site to the Etihad Stadium and the rest of the Etihad Campus.
There will also be community facilities including a swimming pool on 5.5 of the 80 acres, partyly funded by Manchester City FC.
The club said on Monday that 160 construction jobs would be created during the project, 70% of them for local people, and the majority of materials, equipment and services for the construction and operation of the site would be sourced from local companies.
Garry Cook, chief executive of Manchester City FC, said: "Our research to date has been painstaking and our planning comprehensive and whilst our plans would inevitably have a positive impact on both our young and established playing talent, the regenerative and economic impact for our community should not be underestimated. We welcome the views of all of the communities we serve as we seek to submit planning permission for this most exciting of proposals."
Jonathan Stemp, chief infrastructure officer at Manchester City FC, is responsible for all property refurbishment, development and operational issues at the club.
Stemp said: "The site has some fairly complex industrial history. The exact detail covered everything from doing works in mining, a lot of industrial use on the site and there has also been chemical works there as well. But we've done an awful lot of research to truly understand what it is we are requiring and the council and New East Manchester have been great partners in helping us to look at this piece of land and bring it back into use.
Manchester City FC's first team currently uses a site at Carrington for training and the club also has its youth academy at Platt Lane in Fallowfield.
The club is undecided on what will happen to these two sites if the plans for a youth development and first team training centre in Openshaw West are given the green light.
Stemp added: "We haven't fully decided on our strategy for either disposal or keeping the facilities. I think there is a general feeling that we probably won't have a need for Carrington although we haven't formally said that yet. We'll have a look at Carrington as it may have some use for us in the future. Platt Lane is slightly different because it has always been at the heart of the community and it's is predominantly a community site and I suspect that is likely to remain within our estate and we're likely to bring more community use to it at some point in the future. The dispose of those sites is not key to what we do here. If we do develop this new academy and first team training facility as we hope then there will be a transition from a multi-site operation to a single site operation."
The project team currently includes: Led by Pro Leisure; Rafael Vinoly Architects; BDP, Aedas; ASK Property Developments; Drivers Jonas Deloitte; CRE8; Christal Management; Aecom; Turner & Townsend; White Young Green; Capita Symonds Structures; Planit EDC; J Mallinson Ormskirk; Ekosgen; Weightmans; Schlaich Bergermann & Partners: the Restaurant & Catering Consultancy; and RWDI Anemos.
Members of the public interested in taking part in the consultation can visit an exhibition at the Etihad Stadium from Tuesday 19 July to learn more about the proposed development. Exhibition opening times are 11am – 7pm, Monday to Friday and 11am – 4pm on weekends but closed on matchdays. Or visit www.manchestercityfootballacademy.co.uk
