LTE Group's City Campus Manchester 

When LTE Group wanted a build partner to transform the Old Boddingtons’ Brewery site into an education hub, they chose our local team to deliver a learning centre of excellence for creative and digital industries.

The eye-catching Jewel Box Theatre inside the college

This is the first phase of City Campus Manchester's ambitious strategy for Manchester which has delivered one of the best learning hubs for creative industries in the UK.

Covering four storeys, it houses two cutting-edge industry-standard theatres, as well as film studios, media, computing and editing suites. Students also benefit from recording and photography studios, dance studios and rehearsal rooms as well as bespoke practical spaces for hospitality, media make-up and special effects.

It also includes a 40-seat restaurant, which will be run by students, to compliment the TV, radio, art and photography studios.

The campus also holds UCEN’s School of Computing and Cyber-Security, The Manchester Film School, The Arden School of Theatre, and the School of Art, Media and Make-Up.

Manchester landmark

Situated at the corner of New Bridge Street and Great Ducie Street, opposite Manchester Arena, it was designed by the award-winning Bond Bryan and Simpson Haugh architects to create a distinctive identity. The building represents one of the largest investments in further education and skills in the region for more than 30 years.

Lisa O’Loughlin, principal of The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester, said:

“I am delighted that we have reached this extremely exciting milestone in the project which has been five years in the making to provide our students with industry-standard facilities for generations to come.

“City Campus Manchester will not only provide exceptional technical education facilities for learners across Greater Manchester, giving students the perfect environment to gain the skills that they will need for a rewarding career but will also act as a beacon for the power of education and the opportunities it provides in the heart of the city.

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the north, said:

“This new college campus is a real statement of intent by Manchester that it’s one of the UK’s foremost centres of learning for industries that will help shape a dynamic future economy for the UK. The UK is a world leader for creative and digital technology and this college will ensure it stays that way for many generations to come.”

Funding for the new campus has come from the LTE Group, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership and Manchester City Council, alongside commercial backing from banking group Santander.