Royal Exchange in line for Coroner letting

The Royal Exchange looks likely to follow Bridgewater House as a beneficiary of the Our Town Hall project that will see Manchester City Council departments moved out of the town hall while refurbishment takes place over a number of years.

While some departments are to be accommodated within the Town Hall Extension and Central Library, the council has been in the market for around 20,000 sq ft and said last week that space at Bridgewater House on Whitworth Street has been rented for three years.

However, according to a report that will go before Manchester City Council’s executive next week, an additional venue, understood to be Royal Exchange, is also being let. The report states: “The Coroners Service, including the two courts, will relocate to premises on Cross Street.

“Both this location and Bridgewater House will have some meeting space available to staff, to offset some of the meeting rooms that won’t be available on the former Members Corridor after Members move into this space.

“The Coroner’s new accommodation requires building work to create the court and office spaces, so this move will take longer than the other relocations and the Coroner will relocate in the spring of 2018.

“Given the building will still provide accommodation for the project team and will require FM services including security this will not present an issue.”

Place North West understands that a deal is yet to be completed, and that other locations have been looked at. It is understood the space in question within the Cross Street complex is the Exchange floor, which comprises around 12,000 sq ft overlooking Marks & Spencer on the Exchange Street side of the building.

Savills and Canning O’Neill, retained as agents on the building by Hines, declined to comment.