MANCHESTER Innovation District

Take a stroll through the Mancunian Innovation District and discover new cultural venues, food pop-ups, plus unusual museum exhibitions

- HANNAH BRANDLER

1 OXFORD ROAD CORRIDOR

Stretching south from St Peter's Square in the city centre lies the Oxford Road Corridor, a one square mile area which is home to 42,000 residents, 74,000 students and 8,800 businesses - plus accounts for 20 per cent of the city's economic output. This collaborative project aims to be "Manchester's cosmopolitan hub and world-class innovation district" by 2025. This shouldn't be too hard given its pioneering history - it's where Rutherford split the atom, Alan Turing invented the modern computer, and graphene was discovered. The area has a campuslike feel, featuring various businesses, academic institutions - including the city's two universities - and contemporary green spaces. Its impressive cultural venues, many of which are covered here, attract more than two million visitors per year. Ongoing projects include the multi-million-pound Circle Square neighbourhood, located on the site of the former BBC building, which opened in 2021 but is still awaiting F&B venues. Plus, the Manchester Museum is set to reopen in February 2023 following a £13 million redevelopment.

2 HATCH

Innovation extends beyond academia to exciting dining and entertainment venues. Located under the Mancunian Way flyover on Oxford Road lies Hatch, a food, drink and retail popup occupying a series of colourful shipping containers. Since opening in 2018, the site has trebled in size and now features 30 independent traders from hairdressers to a shoe cleaning boutique and rotating street food stalls.