The government is considering alternative uses for the former Mayfield station site in Manchester, which had been earmarked for a “Whitehall of the North” civil service campus, according to details released under a Freedom of Information request.
British Rail Board (Residuary), which owns the 20-acre site, is considering uses for the site in case plans to transform it into 700,000 sq ft of offices for the civil service do not proceed.
Last November, the government revealed that it was reviewing the future of the Mayfield plans following the coalition government’s comprehensive spending review.
Under plans originally conceived in 2009 by the Labour government, 5,000 civil servants would be relocated to the site, which is close to Manchester’s Piccadilly rail station. A masterplan, developed by Drivers Jonas Deloitte and architect Bennetts Associates was approved in 2010.
daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com
