More details have been released about the £1.7bn ID Manchester innovation district.
The development is set to create more than 10k new jobs over 4m square feet. It will also include 1500 homes, commercial and retail space.
This has been detailed in a Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) submitted by joint venture partners, Bruntwood SciTech and The University of Manchester.
It outlines how the £1.7bn investment will “prioritise sustainability, inclusivity, diversity and creativity” in the district and deliver an estimated £900m GVA annually for Manchester.
ID Manchester is based at the University’s North Campus around Sackville Street, Renold buildings and Vimto Park. This places it adjacent to the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre and the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology.
“Over the next 15 years, we have the opportunity to design a whole new district of the city that will establish Manchester as a global leader for applied innovation and drive new skills, ideas and economic growth in both Manchester and the UK,” said Lou Cordwell OBE, Director ID Manchester.
“ID Manchester marks a step change in the UK’s ambition to be a world leader in science and tech, not only supporting the UK’s Innovation Strategy, but also creating the exemplar for inclusive innovation – our values of sustainable growth, inclusivity and positive social impact will be at the heart of ID Manchester. We’re excited to share our plans with the public and welcome their feedback on how ID Manchester can benefit Greater Manchester communities.”
The SRF will now be placed before Manchester City Council’s Executive Committee, which will be asked to endorse the plans and launch a public consultation.
“ID Manchester is an exciting opportunity for new ideas and research to be commercialised and scaled up in Manchester, centred on the Oxford Road Corridor, and to create thousands of high-quality jobs in future-facing industries,” added John Holden, Associate Vice-President for Major Special Projects, The University of Manchester.
“As one of the world’s leading innovation districts, it will have an emphasis on driving inclusive innovation that works for people and the planet. This is a critical mission for the University, which is ranked first in the UK, first in Europe, and second in the world in the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, based on our performance against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“ID Manchester will bring huge economic benefit to the city and make a major contribution to Greater Manchester and the national government’s ambitions to use R&D and innovation as an enabler for job creation and levelling up in the UK.”
