New Century Hall, a food hall in Manchester city centre near Victoria station, has submitted plans to Manchester City Council for a major revamp. The proposal includes a new live music space, a pizza venue, and a bar.
The move follows a report stating that the food hall 'has not proven commercially viable', prompting a change of approach. Planning documents explain that while the venue has hosted events and performances successfully, the day-to-day food hall operation has struggled due to the scale and character of the space, and the building's location being slightly removed from the primary retail and leisure core of the city centre.
New Venue Layout
The changes aim to create 'two independently operable yet connected venues capable of supporting a wider range of activities throughout the week.' The new layout will focus on live music, hosting a programme of gigs and private hire events. It was reported in May that the music space could fit up to 450 people and would be separated by a sound-proofed partition wall.
Planning reports describe the proposed mid-sized room as having flexibility to serve as a band's first gig venue, a place for college students to hone their talents, a private party hire, and a new community hub for the area.
Background and Timeline
New Century Hall is located in the grade II-listed New Century Hall building, which reopened in 2022 after a £10m revamp of the 1963-dated building, originally used for offices and a conference hall. The planning application is set to be decided by mid-September, with the consultation deadline passing this week.
The venue sits in the NOMA area of central Manchester, where new apartment blocks have been built nearby for a growing number of residents.
