Lifestyle Outlets, part of Peel L&P, has started construction on 35,000 sq ft of new retail space in Manchester which will transform a waterfront site into a landmark food and beverage destination.
Lifestyle Outlets is investing £26m into The Lowry Outlet to convert the southern waterfront into Manchester’s newest go-to leisure destination, creating 150 new jobs in the process. Last month, planning permission was granted for the new retail and leisure space in the centre of historic Salford Quays and construction work has now commenced.
The initial works have focused on sustainable demolition, as 4,035 tonnes – the equivalent in weight of 325 fire engines, or the volume of 50 standard swimming pools – of waste has been removed. Of this, nearly 95% has been recycled.
‘The Watergardens’ at the Lowry Outlet will deliver a diverse and exciting range of restaurants, bars and leisure amenities; all a short walk from MediaCityUK.
The development, set to open in 2020, will be connected to the iconic Millennium Bridge by a new waterfront promenade and is within a short walk of some of Manchester’s most popular attractions, including Old Trafford and The Lowry Theatre.
Designed by multi-award-winning architects Chapman Taylor, the development is part of a wider masterplan to regenerate Salford Quays into a world-class business, cultural and residential area, which includes the £550 million development of MediaCityUK.
‘The Watergardens’ is expected to be delivered next summer and talks are currently underway with a number of a high-profile restaurants and bar operators.
Jason Pullen, Managing Director at Lifestyle Outlets, said: “Salford Quays has undergone quite a transformation in the last decade, with widespread investment in infrastructure, businesses and homes. It’s easy to see why the area has become so popular to live and work in recent years – as well as being a hub for Manchester’s creative industries, its cultural heritage has been sympathetically restored, creating a sense of place.
“The Watergardens has been designed to reflect the area’s history as well as its contemporary inhabitants, offering a vibrant dining offering with the best waterfront views in the area, as well as a host of quality retail and leisure spaces.
“We’re pleased to have broken ground on ‘The Watergardens’ and look forward to delivering a quality development that will reinvigorate the waterfront at MediaCityUK.”
