Groundworks have started on the land where the government campus to drive forward world-class digital capability and services for the public will be built.
Contractors have moved onto the site at Ancoats, central Manchester, where they have begun preparing the ground to enable the main construction to begin. Works include breaking up and crushing concrete slabbing, removing redundant drainage and utilities, reducing the levels of the site, and conducting further ground investigations and surveys in readiness for the main build scheduled to start in 2028.
Teams will also lay temporary tracks across the 5.5 acre site for construction machinery.
Built on brownfield land, Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) will bring together approximately 8,800 people from multiple government departments with a focus on digital delivery. It’s an exciting transformation programme, changing the way government works and connects; a significant element of the government digital and data strategy and a key part of the Places for Growth programme.
The Cabinet Office programme will principally be delivered by the Government Property Agency (GPA) in close collaboration with all the government departments involved.
Philippa Harvey, Senior Responsible Owner for the MDC programme, said:
“This is a milestone event as delivery continues to progress on this programme, creating exceptional tangible benefits for the government, the taxpayer, the economy and the skills of the region and the wider UK.
“To get to this point has seen extraordinary efforts from a huge number of people across government, in Manchester, and the wider region; there is of course a lot more to do.
“MDC is not just a new building – it is a transformation of how government works, bringing together digitally focused departments at scale in a purpose-built environment, fully embedded in the community we serve.
”Once open – targeted for 2032 – MDC will provide approximately 900,000 sq ft of purpose-built workspace across two buildings. The new campus will help to harness the North West’s digital expertise and foster collaboration across departments and the wider digital sector in the region.”
Construction is expected to support approximately 4,900 direct jobs over a four-year build period.
As it gains momentum, the campus programme will also help the government reach its ambition of having one in ten civil servants in technology and digital roles by 2030 – currently just over five per cent. The wider MDC delivery programme will play a significant part in galvanising technology and digital functions and operators in the region in anticipation of the campus opening, which will shift momentum towards meeting this ambition.
Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council; Greater Manchester Economy portfolio lead and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“This is a significant moment for Manchester. Transforming this derelict site will support almost 9,000 government jobs being concentrated in Manchester and around 5,000 construction jobs.
“This investment by the Government in the future of Manchester, and Greater Manchester, will cement our growing global reputation as a hub for digital and cyber industries.”
