St John's transformation in Manchester: A £1bn investment begins to reshape the cityscape
St John's, an area in Manchester that remained relatively unknown and little visited for quite some time, is witnessing a remarkable transformation with over £1bn being invested, beginning to demonstrate visible progress. Although it once housed Granada Studios, interest waned after ITV and the BBC relocated to Salford Quays.
However, the area is seeing a resurgence thanks to significant developments like the £280m Aviva Studios which opened its doors in 2023. Trendy bars and restaurants such as Caravan and Trading Route have commenced service, residents are moving into a 36-storey 'co-living' apartment tower, renowned enterprises like Booking.com have settled into the state-of-the-art offices of Enterprise City, and the original Granada Studios building is being repurposed for a Soho House and a hotel, while TV production has made a return with ABC and Versa Studios taking up residence.
The driving force behind St John's regeneration is Allied London, which previously brought Spinningfields to life two decades ago, under the guidance of CEO Mike Ingall, who managed both undertakings. Ingall is candid about why St John's might not yet resonate widely.
"You walk into Spinningfields and go 'wow'. You walk here and go 'f*** is this it?'," he expressed during a recent guided visit to the site. Nonetheless, he foresees St John's carving out a significant presence shortly.
He elaborated: "Yes, it is it. But we only have 12,000 people working here [currently], Booking.com has 2,500 people here.
"We have not told that story yet. The Aviva Studios proper story is only at chapter one, it's on its introduction of how globally powerful that can be if they make productions that get exported around the world."
The revitalisation of St John's reached a pinnacle on February 26, when the Versa television studios were officially inaugurated by Manchester council leader Bev Craig, who proclaimed 'we have turned this part of the city around'. In the coming months, Allied London's project to refurbish the Campfield market halls - formerly utilised as the aerospace hall of the Science and Industry Museum - into offices and studios with public spaces, will conclude.
Mike envisions them as 'must see' structures where 'people will just hang around', akin to the Guggenheim in Bilbao. More developments are planned for St John's.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service was given an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour to preview what's next.
The primary connection between Deansgate and St John's is Quay Street, a frequently congested section of the A34.
Grape Street could offer a much more tranquil route to Manchester's premier thoroughfare via St John's Gardens. However, Grape Street is not particularly inviting, surrounded by a hodgepodge of construction sites.
This will change, according to Jack Ignall, Mike's son and Allied's commercial creative executive. "Restaurants will be coming out here," he explained during the tour, pointing towards the Bonded Warehouse, which is located on Grape Street.
He envisions hosting events like 'markets, wine shows, or flower shows', and he 'really wants to put gardens in' nearby.
He elaborated: "There's not a place to go for a dog walk or a run. There's the opportunity to create a ribbon down which a walking route or running route can go. I think that's what people want."
He continued, "We all need space to be outside, being next to water. There's canals but not really rivers. It makes a difference being next to water. We need to unlock that, I'm not sure how."
Plans are in motion to develop 'The Boat Club' on the canal alongside the Irwell, Mike pointed out, anticipating it to be 'something unique', akin to 'an art gallery'. Mike added, "We've been waiting for Grape Street to open for various reasons now we are at that point," indicating that there will soon be a more peaceful path from the city to St John's, with hopes that this will draw visitors.
However, attracting people to St John's from Deansgate isn't just dependent on Grape Street—Campfield market halls, dating back to the 1850s and recognized as grade-II listed buildings, also play a part in this.
The refurbishment of these halls is expected to complete in May, subsequently rebranding the Upper Campfield Market to 'Campfield Studios', featuring three studios encircling a central atrium. The larger Lower market hall will simply be known as 'Campfield', transforming into a 50,000 sq ft 'flexible workspace', complete with a public cafe-bar and event hosting capabilities.
"This is the bit Aviva Studios does not have. If you want to come for a date night or a cocktail, it's going to be must-see," remarked Mike.
"There's so many residents around here, we are restricted with live music. That's why we are thinking of an opera bar. It's not going to lift the roof off, but it will be a thing."
Some public funding has been invested in this project, with a joint bid from Allied London and Manchester council for government levelling up cash focusing on 'industry', according to Tanya Grady, who is overseeing the restoration. This meant that Campfield had to 'deliver jobs' and 'it would be difficult to bring it back online with just food' use, she continued, acknowledging that a 'level of [government] money has unlocked the refurbishment of the building'.
Perhaps the truly unique feature of St John's is Versa Studios, which 'brought TV production back to Manchester', Mike said. "For 10 years I helped Sir Howard Bernstein to fight to save ITV and BBC from moving out. We lost that battle but we are slowly bringing it back with Versa Studios."
Versa is located adjacent to the old Granada building, which is set to become a 160-bedroom hotel with Soho House occupying its top three floors, essentially a high-end social club.
Versa is thoroughly modern inside, with dressing rooms that could easily be mistaken for an IKEA show home. But its real strength lies in its studios.
Inside its very own building, it boasts a selection of nine studios but it has the capability to connect with neighbouring arts hub Aviva Studios for recording and broadcasting live performances. Edward Harvey, the leader at the helm, is particularly proud of the facility's crown jewel: a £2 million LED wall designed for 'virtual production'.
"A camera is targeting the wall so it's a parallax effect so it's what your brain expects to see in real life," he explained, highlighting how the technology adeptly simulates movement on-screen to parallel the motions of a camera, as demonstrated by an actor lounging on a settee in front of a lifelike projection of a flat. This cutting-edge tech is lauded for its 'more sustainable' approach to filmmaking, negating the need to jet off to far-flung locations, Edward said, as it can convincingly replicate foreign vistas right here in the studio.
The Versa studio isn't just confined to cinematic ventures – musical escapades and capturing gaming motion are also on its roster. Although the official launch was only this month, the space has already seen action from notable guests, having hosted shoots for 'Peaky Blinders' and the fresh take on the show 'Bullseye'.
In tandem, just next door, the BBC's 'Morning Live' is filmed in the ABC premises, attracted by the allure of Manchester's vibrant core, according to Mike. It's this magnetism that Allied London's developments will bank on to draw the crowds.
Nonetheless, there’s an acknowledgement among the higher-ups that St John's is not yet well known, with Mike admitting they've been 'living behind the scenes'. Now, with doors flung open wide to the world, the real verdict awaits – will it prove to be a £1 billion well spent?
