Work is now well underway to completely revamp one of Manchester’s most recognisable buildings, Pall Mall.
The Grade II-listed building on the beautiful King Street will be totally transformed into a new city centre innovation hub by Bruntwood SciTech.
You’ve probably walked past it hundreds of times, but soon there’ll be a chance for freelancers, start-ups, and established businesses to step inside and call it home.
For those self-employed of you out there, there are no scary commitments to worry about when Pall Mall reopens – you can just walk in and book a pay-as-you-go-desk, work at the cafe, sign up for a coworking membership, or go all the way to serviced offices or sign up for the sort of office space you can put your own stamp on – all with flexible payment options.
Once completed, there’ll be 12 floors of work spaces for between one and 70 people across three interconnected towers.
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If you spend your 9-5 in one of the office spaces at Pall Mall, you’ll have access to a free state-of-the-art gym, a contemplation room, a lounge and library space, and a roof terrace with panoramic views across Manchester city centre.
There’ll also be secure EV charging points and a large cycle hub, plus plenty of greenery added through an outdoor piazza and revitalised entrance space. And every communal space will operate at net zero carbon. Snazzy.
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Pall Mall is a 90,000 sq ft giant in the heart of Manchester, with a rich cultural and historical significance and is an example of a high-quality post-war site.
CGIs released as part of the plans show bright and open work spaces with lots of fully fitted offices ready to move straight into, plus a totally overhauled outdoor space to make use of an often-overlooked external space in the city centre.
Pall Mall will have a revitalised piazza outside. Credit: Bruntwood SciTechThere’ll be a cafe on site at Pall Mall. Credit: Bruntwood SciTech
The ambitious £30m project comes from Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s largest dedicated property platform dedicated to growing the science, tech and innovation sectors, which is a joint venture between Bruntwood, Legal & General and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, who last October announced that they would be investing a further £500m into building or refurbing work-class spaces for these types of businesses, and Pall Mall was one of these first commitments.
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Principal contractor Dragonfly has been appointed to build the Sheppard Robson-designed development and local teams also working on the development include Ramboll as sustainability consultants, Deloitte as planning consultants, heritage consultant Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture and structural engineers DWLLP.
Businesses will be able to move into adaptable and flexible workspaces, with different lease lengths available to cater for businesses as they grow.
Those moving into Pall Mall will be part of a culture that prioritises sustainable growth, from the net-zero communal spaces to the net-zero construction, with the building’s original structure being maintained to save 7,900 tonnes of additional carbon (the equivalent of one passenger making 26,000 flights from London to New York).
There’ll be an all-electric heating and cooling system, a smart building management system, and new mechanical ventilation heat recovery units to maximise energy efficiency and provide fresh air control to businesses.
Pall Mall will have a gym. Credit: Bruntwood SciTechCGIs show how Pall Mall will look when the work is complete. Credit: Bruntwood SciTech
Once complete, Pall Mall is targeting a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating and EPC A rating – a significant achievement for a Grade II listed, 1960s building.
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Their green credentials have been noticed – Pall Mall is a finalist in the 2024 edie Awards for Green Building Project of the Year, and also won Best Commercial Unbuilt Project at the 2024 Manchester Society of Architects Awards.
Start-ups, scale-ups and global businesses alike will gain access to a UK-wide network of 1100 like-minded businesses across Bruntwood SciTech’s community, which spans 31 city centre hubs and nine science and technology campuses in six cities, and in Manchester includes the likes of Circle Square, Manchester Science Park, Bond, Bloc, 111 Piccadilly and Blackfriars in Manchester.
There are big names who already operate from Bruntwood Scitech’s Manchester innovation hubs including – to name but a few – Roku, Deliveroo, AO, Social Chain, Mills & Reeve, and tonnes of freelancers.
They can access Bruntwood SciTech’s growth support, including direct access to funding and investors, highly skilled talent, new markets, and an extensive clinical, academic and public partner network.
Ciara Keeling, Chief Operating Officer for Bruntwood SciTech said: “Bruntwood SciTech has a strong blueprint for creating innovation ecosystems, having undertaken significant projects across many of the UK’s cities and regions.
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CGIs show how Pall Mall will look when the work is complete. Credit: Bruntwood SciTech
“We believe that these hubs are not only essential to the development, growth and success of many exciting innovation-focused businesses, but can play a significant role in transforming our regional economies and putting the UK on a path to achieving its ambitions of being an innovation powerhouse.
“Work commencing on our redevelopment of Pall Mall marks an important step in our mission to power economies through innovation, supporting Manchester to continue growing its support for the knowledge economy, and becoming a more environmentally sustainable city.
“Core to our vision for the building is to develop a workspace that caters specifically to the needs of disruptors and innovators, whilst also remaining acutely conscious of our responsibility to champion the building’s heritage and inherent character.”
Pall Mall’s redevelopment is targeted to complete in 2025, and is supported by Savills and CBRE.
Want to call Pall Mall home for your business? Enquire today.
Manchester City’s Stadium Tours are back for the summer and bigger than ever
Danny Jones
Manchester City stadium tours are back for summer 2026, with more to see from the home of the Blues than ever, and with 15% off all tickets until the end of August, too.
It’s safe to say that Man City are going through a HUGE period of change right now: embarking on a new era under Enzo Maresca following the dynasty of Pep Guardiola, vast redevelopments of the wider Etihad Campus, a new club hotel, and the expansion of the North Stand – now named after said Catalan coach.
With that in mind, there’s so much new stuff going on over in East Manchester and arguably more of it all happening in one place than we can recall in recent memory, making it the perfect time for Cityzens to return to the famous home ground – indeed, your Etihad debut if you haven’t made one already.
Giving you greater access to areas usually reserved for players and staff only than ever, this exclusive, interactive and virtual tour will take you through the very bones of the storied sporting arena, all the way through to pitchside.
Fans can explore the dressing room and follow in the footsteps of their favourite City players as they walk through the iconic glass players’ tunnel, before walking out into the open air and sitting in the dugout to take in that incredible view.
You can also try out the latest ‘Beyond the Blue Moon’ experience – an immersive VR adventure that sees supporters journey through Manchester City’s past, present, and future.
Following on from Pep lending his likeness, using innovative technology, you can now even have the chance to put your questions to Erling Haaland in the Press Conference Room.
There aren’t many teams on the planet that offer this level of stadium tour, let alone just here in the UK, so it’s no wonder they remain award-winning almost every single year.
Whether you’re a lifelong City fan, a football lover or visiting this wonderful place we call Manchester for the very first time, there’s something for everyone.
For instance, with The Medlock Hotel and accompanying Medlock Square already lining up its maiden events, the City Football Group (CFG) are once again committing to make the wider Etihad Campus an all-year-round entertainment destination.
That being said, plenty of people online have been generating a lot of buzz about the aforementioned Medlock’s new stadium-view rooms since clips appeared on social media.
Pitch view rooms coming to the Radisson Blu Medlock Hotel at #ManCity’s Etihad Stadium. 🤯
As for the tickets themselves, the club have also taken steps to keep the cost affordable.
Standard prices start from just £32 for adults and only £20 for under-16s, with larger family packages available from £60.
BUT, with the 15% discount mentioned earlier, adults currently cost just £27; kids go for just £17, and those family passes start from just £51.
You can find all the options when it comes to stadium tour passes and grab the type of admission that suits you right HERE.
Speaking of tickets, City have also been met with praise for the introduction of new discounted seats for local residents; find out all the details below.
The UK’s biggest padel event lands in Stockport with an all-star cast of top professionals
Danny Jones
On Monday, 10 August, what was billed as the UK’s ‘biggest and best’ padel event got underway in Stockport, as the Sci-Mx Padel Series came to Manchester Padel Club (MPC). Safe to say it didn’t disappoint one bit.
Hosted at the impressive Heald Green facility in Gatley, the Summer 2026 tournament, which saw everyone from total beginners to the cream of the crop turn up in force and fine form, drew a sold-out crowd of over 400 – and that was just the first day.
Running until 5pm this following Tuesday (11 Aug), the competition saw four all-weather and one outdoor courts taken over by padel’s hottest prospects and plenty of plucky underdogs.
More importantly, however, chatting with those not only right at the heart of this particular sporting showcase but the game as a whole gave us a wider appreciation for the craze than ever.
Credit: The Manc Group
First off, props must be given to Sci-Mx and the MPC, which put on a super slick opening afternoon, with plenty of live music, refreshments, bleacher seating, not to mention merch to grab for those who really want to look the part.
Besides the usual trickle of famous faces you regularly see at pro-am events across the country, they even had sports commentator Sam Matterface on the mic to add that extra bit of live flair to the action.
We expect no less for day two tomorrow.
We were lucky enough to catch everyone from last-minute sign-ups and people who have never picked up a racket before to the literal number ones, including UK no.1 Christian Medina Murphy (born in Preston to Mancunian parentage) and even Agustín Tapia, currently ranked the best player in the world.
The men’s exhibition to round off day one at Manchester Padel Club – which saw these two come face to face with separated partners – showed just how fast the best of the best play, demonstrating a frightening level of talent; you can watch the full livestream HERE.
But, to be honest, we were pretty blown away by the high standards from the off, even among the so-called ‘amateurs’ the sports nutrition brand assembled. They certainly didn’t look it to us…
Credit: The Manc
Sarah Horrocks, who heads up the Padel Foundation and partnered sports apparel brand, Palair Sport, was made up with the “family-friendly atmosphere” they’ve managed to deliver on opening day, too.
“It’s very much been a ‘bring anyone along’ approach”, she told The Manc, “and that’s exactly what communities need when it comes to sport. The turnout’s been amazing, especially on Monday.
“You can always fill a padel court these days, but lots of people will have never seen this level before, so having everyone here is special, and hopefully, it’ll inspire the kids and adults here to keep playing and influence that next generation.”
We also got to chat with Team GB padel player, Nikhil Mohindra, who spoke about how impressed he was with the calibre of talent on show even before the pros stepped out.
“It’s such a privilege to be involved with Sci-Mx and the Manchester Padel Club. It’s a very professional put-together event. It’s also exciting to see Sarah and the Foundation continuing to give people who’ve never had the chance to play sport full stop, let alone just padel, in underprivileged areas.
“Getting to not only play and film some content with the best players in the world, but also teach and instruct some of these younger players how to actually hit these shots – it’s a really unique opportunity to do that, so it’s an honour to be involved.”
Sarah and NikhilCredit: The Manc
As absolutely useless beginners ourselves, we also asked him for some useful tips to help us get started.
“I think in tennis you try and hit through the ball, whereas here, the softer you play, the better, as it’s a much more tactical sport; it’s about positioning, and because the courts are only 20×10, it’s about finding those gaps. The lob is the main shot here, so get used to using that and the glass as early as possible.”
Asking the pair what it is that they think has inspired this ongoing padel phenomenon and boom in courts opening across the North West, they believe it has a hugely “wide appeal”, with everyone from youngsters, ex-pros and even current athletes looking for something to mix up their schedule.
They also think a key part of its rapid growth here in the UK also comes down to how quickly people can improve, with Nikhil quipping that once people go online and check out the points, they’re often easily “tempted to come and give it a go for themselves.”
As for Sci-Mx, locally-born owner Sandy Chadha made it clear how key that element of access and the aim of making it for everyone was a core pillar of the event. Speaking ahead of the first ball, he said: “This is a massive coup for the Manchester Padel Community.
“We are bringing top-class talent to the region and throwing the doors open for two unforgettable days of world-class talent. It was important to me that accessible to all fans, whether you’re a first-timer or play every week; the aim is to bring everyone together in this state-of-the-art facility to watch the best players on the globe face off in my hometown.”
Some of the best on planetAnd quite literally the best in the world, Agustín Tapia
After seeing the rapturous applause from the intimate but packed-out crowd at Manchester Padel Club on a random Monday evening, we can confidently say we’re more keen to try our hand at it than ever.
Last but not least, if you fancy doing your bit for a good cause, you can donate to the Padel Foundation’s ‘Sport For Everyone’ fundraiser right HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
16th September 2024 
