MMU plans 2020 start on science campus expansion

Manchester Metropolitan University has revealed designs for a £45m science and engineering campus, set to replace the John Dalton West building next to Mancunian Way, with a planning application due in the New Year.

The 1970s-built 33,000 sq ft John Dalton West has been earmarked for demolition for some time; the replacement block would be physically connected to John Dalton Tower and the John Dalton East building, which houses the faculty of science & engineering and fronts Oxford Road. John Dalton Tower is set to be retained and upgraded.

The seven-storey new building will provide 150,000 sq ft of additional teaching, lab and collaboration space for the faculty, specialising in research in areas such as computing, health and wellbeing, smart cities, climate change and ageing. BDP is the architect, with Turley advising on planning.

Access for the building would be from Chester Street, and in order to encourage more active transport, the scheme would have reduced parking spaces, and increased cycling storage facilities.

Ahead of submitting a detailed application, the university is hosting a public consultation on the proposals, from 10am on Monday 2 December to Friday 6 December, at the John Dalton Central building.

Should planning permission be achieved in 2020, demolition works are expected to start by the end of 2020, with the project completed by 2023.

The university launched a search for a contractor at the start of this year. Initially MMU explored the potential for the demolition of the larger, neighbouring John Dalton East block, however this is now being retained. The university is understood to be in talks with a shortlist of contractors.