Oxford Road pop-up gains council consent
Bruntwood’s plans for 12 pop-up retail and leisure units next to Manchester Technology Centre and under the Mancunian Way flyover have been approved, with a December opening expected.
Named ‘Hatch’, the scheme will be operated and managed by the team behind Bruntwood’s Afflecks emporium in the Northern Quarter. Work has begun to prepare the plot, while the units are being prefabricated off-site.
The 8,500 sq ft pop-up offering is intended to act as a precursor to the retail being built in the nearby £750m Circle Square, by Bruntwood and Select Property Group.
Artisan coffee house, Takk, has been confirmed as the first customer and will set up two 1,000 sq ft units on the site for new concepts, an espresso bar alongside a nano brewery and bar called Öl. Other opportunities across nine further units include four food and beverage outlets of 80 sq ft, and five retail units from 80 to 240 sq ft.
Manchester City Council has granted permission for the temporary use until 2022.
Flexible and affordable leases will be offered as well as additional support, from business planning through to delivery. It will provide opportunities for both start-up and established operators, catering for morning trade through to late evening, seven days a week.
On completion, Circle Square will include over 1m sq ft of commercial office space, 1,281 new homes, 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space for shops, studios, bars and restaurants. A multi-storey car park and two hotels will provide additional amenity to the site.
The buildings will be centred around 250,000 sq ft of public realm.
