Planning approval has been secured for a new boutique Dakota Hotel at MIX MANCHESTER, adjacent to Manchester Airport. The application was given approval by Manchester City Council’s planning team under delegated powers.

The 154-bedroom hotel is expected to inject approximately £12million per annum to the local economy, with 150 jobs for local people. It has an estimated £60m development value with a gross internal area of 7,835sqm.

The hotel will be the second in Manchester for Dakota Hotels, complementing its city centre hotel on Ducie Street, and will be located off Enterprise Way on a three-acre plot at MIX MANCHESTER.

Enabling and preparation works are already underway on site and contractor GMI Construction is lined to start construction works shortly.

Andrew Ovenstone, Managing Director of Dakota Hotels Ltd, commented: “This is an exceptional location for the latest hotel in our northern portfolio. Not only is it strategically placed next to one of the busiest airports in the world, but it will be central to the development coming forward across the MIX MANCHESTER site. We’re very pleased to have secured planning and look forward to bringing the Dakota Hotels experience to the local community, business travellers and employees and visitors to MIX MANCHESTER.”

The JV partnership behind MIX MANCHESTER comprises Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI), and Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF).

Speaking on behalf of the JV partnership Gareth Jackson, Group Property Director for Manchester Airports Group, said: “Dakota securing planning for their new hotel is another great milestone for us at MIX MANCHESTER. It’s a superb brand, one which closely aligns with our ambitions and vision for the forward-thinking companies that we’re aiming to attract to MIX MANCHESTER. It will provide an exceptional standard of accommodation and high-quality service for both employees and for some of the 28million passenger wo travel through the airport each year.”

The MIX MANCHESTER Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) is currently out for public consultation and will see the creation of the UK’s first airport-based science, innovation, and manufacturing campus.

Designed by KPP Architects, the new Dakota Hotel will also include a premium bar and brasserie-style Grill on the ground floor and will provide 130 car parking spaces and a dedicated shuttle service to and from the airport terminals.

The new Dakota Hotel will join other new amenities at MIX MANCHESTER, including additional hotel and leisure facilities and extensive public realm, all of which is designed to complement the development’s wider masterplan which comprises 2 million sq ft of high-quality science, innovation, and advanced manufacturing space.

The site is ‘shovel-ready’, with £30 million of joint venture capital already invested in highways and utilities infrastructure, including a new pedestrian bridge linking to the main airport site. Driven by occupier demand, a wide range of buildings will be available, including advanced manufacturing, research and development, laboratory and office spaces with the creation of up to 8,000 jobs.

Asteer Planning advised Dakota Hotels.

NOTE TO EDITORS

Press Office – Lily Shepherd-Foode, Head of Marketing & PR: LS@dakotahotels.co.uk

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Premier Inn has agreed terms with MIX MANCHESTER to build a 276-bedroom hotel within the development’s hotel district only 400m from Manchester Airport’s Terminals 1 and 2

Whitbread PLC, the parent company to Premier Inn, and MIX MANCHESTER have announced plans to develop the largest Premier Inn in the north of England at Manchester Airport.

The new 276-bedroom hotel will grow Premier Inn’s bedroom stock by more than 50% in the catchment serving the UK’s third busiest airport, and a gateway to over 200 domestic and international destinations.

Whitbread has been investing heavily in Manchester as the company works to realign and grow its network of hotels in the city for its customers. So far this year, the company has acquired a consented freehold development site on Rochdale Road for a new 229-bedroom Premier Inn and disposed of its Deansgate Locks hotel for redevelopment into alternative uses.

The company’s confidence in the city is being driven by a refreshed network plan for Manchester and its underlying belief in the long-term potential for 125,000 Premier Inn bedrooms in the UK – an increase of 40,000 bedrooms on its current trading estate of 85,500 rooms.

Jill Anderson, Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said,

“We are serious about continuing to grow Premier Inn across the north of England and offer the flexibility, security, and development expertise to acquire large hotel sites as we have done at Manchester Airport. Securing what will become the largest Premier Inn in the north of England is a significant moment for Whitbread and one which we are proud to have delivered. With passenger numbers growing strongly at the airport I’m sure it will be a popular choice for our customers when we open the doors and start welcoming our guests.”

A planning application for the new hotel is expected to be submitted to Manchester City Council this side of Christmas which, if approved, will allow construction to commence in early 2025. The hotel will be built on a cleared site adjacent to Manchester Airport’s transport interchange less than 400 metres from Terminal 1 and 2.

Manchester Airports Group is well into the final stage of its £1.3bn Transformation Programme at the airport. The company has undertaken an extension of T2, completed in 2021, and further upgrade and infrastructure works are due to be completed by 2025.

Gareth Jackson, Group Property Director at Manchester Airports Group, commented:

“Whitbread’s decision to open a Premier Inn of this size at MIX MANCHESTER is further endorsement of the complementary offer we’re creating here alongside the airport’s extensive transformation programme. It also demonstrates our continued ability to satisfy the growing demand for hotel beds at the airport, as well as providing science, innovation, and manufacturing occupiers we’re attracting to MIX MANCHESTER with a range of additional leisure amenities.”

Whitbread currently operates three Premier Inn hotels serving Manchester Airport, the newest of which opened in 2009, and welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests to its 20+ locations across the city every year.

The MIX MANCHESTER brand was launched back in May following an extensive development process with our partners at Siren Design. We asked Rod Smith to talk through their approach, their vision for the new brand and how they brought that vision to life with the colourful and dynamic branding which you can now see surrounding the site and across all of our new marketing collateral.

From the outset we knew that the vision was to create a flexible science, technology and manufacturing campus with innovation at its heart. This vision needed to be represented by a new brand identity and positioning, our approach followed a pattern based around exploring the four ‘D’s’:

1. Discover

2. Define

3. Develop

4. Deliver

As part of the redevelopment of the site, we undertook research to understand perceptions amongst a variety of key stakeholders. This insight informed the brand architecture, strategic positioning, and messaging for what has now become MIX MANCHESTER.

Research is key

The research process helped us to discover and capture the most compelling aspects of the UK’s only airport-based offering, and this insight fed directly into the development of a strategic brand structure of pillars, positioning, values, and tone of voice.

The combination of these elements enabled us to develop the name and creative expression for the new brand.

A qualitative rather than quantitative approach was undertaken in the form of a workshop day followed up with individual stakeholder interviews. This was incredibly successful and helped define the pillars for the brand framework, positioning, and to establish a creative brief.

We defined that MIX MANCHESTER is:

• Manchester’s one-of-a-kind, adaptable ecosystem for science, innovation, and manufacturing.

• A place which offers occupiers a ‘bench to bedside’ approach enabling science, research, and manufacturing to happen side by side on-site.

• A campus uniquely positioned to serve as Manchester’s innovation gateway, defining itself as a thriving neighbourhood, not a business park.

• Ready to go! With infrastructure already in place, it gives occupiers the ability to bring all aspects of their business on-site at a scale unrivaled in the north west.

• A destination that grants immediate access to a dedicated talent pool, as well as secure, global, and logistics connections through the airport and the wider Greater Manchester area.

What’s in a name?

At this point in the journey, we were fully immersed, engaged, and excited to develop the creative treatment. But, how do you name a scheme of such significance?

The name needed to be memorable, confident, and stand apart from normal protocols, and the idea of MIX was born from collaboration at the workshops.

Manufacturing and Innovation are at its core, in a setting where ideas and conversations are eXchanged.

We really enjoyed the interplay you can have with the name MIX; it could be defined by its acronym but the word itself suggests a melting pot of experiences, collaboration, and diversity.

A good brief leads to good design

Taking this approach to fully understand the challenges and opportunities, we were able to design a clear brief. By always going back to the question ‘does this answer the brief, are we on track?’ we knew that what we were developing would hit the mark – it is easy to get excited with the creative and lose sight of the end goal and overall purpose.

Our approach was one of client collaboration, meeting regularly to discuss new ideas and ensure we didn’t fall into any generic visual traps, or that the name didn’t look like any competing science, technology, and manufacturing locations.

Design notes

Coming back to the brief, we needed to create a logo that was expressive – one which could live in a digital and physical space and which would create a mark that would be strong just on its own or would sit comfortably alongside supporting imagery. It was key that the brand would reflect the scheme’s values: Collaborative, Pioneering, Flexible, Global.

The logo was born from the letter ‘X,’ its flexibility allowing us to work within 2D and 3D forms, which is so important in our digital world. We needed a dynamic mark that could stand the test of time.

The color palette is bold and vibrant, feeling confident and dynamic yet warm and human.

It was important that the photographic style was also dynamic and inspiring with collaboration at its core, so we used stylized images with contrasting, bright colors that complement the energy of MIX MANCHESTER and the dynamic brand palette.

We believe with MIX MANCHESTER we have created something very successful and the whole team at Siren Design is incredibly proud to see the brand brought to life both on-site and online.

MIX MANCHESTER is the only major science, innovation, and manufacturing campus adjacent to an international airport.

Local, multi-modal transport systems associated with Manchester Airport provide access to surrounding areas and talent pools.

In fact, MIX MANCHESTER will provide unrivaled access to the very best the North West has to offer. The 60-acre site is easily accessed by car, tram, train, or plane, meaning nowhere is beyond reach for prospective occupiers.

To bring to life the ambitious vision for MIX MANCHESTER, more than £30m of utilities and highway infrastructure is already in place.

The joint venture partnership behind MIX MANCHESTER has already completed a £15m link road on Enterprise Way and a brand-new pedestrian footbridge linking the site to the airport.

Both of these solutions enable even greater connectivity to the development from surrounding areas, with more infrastructure investment on the horizon.

Further investment in infrastructure

A Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for MIX MANCHESTER was approved in principle by Manchester City Council in July 2024.

The document outlines the wider investment in infrastructure that will create a truly expansive, open, and dynamic campus for occupiers.

To accelerate sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the site, the specialist needs of prospective MIX MANCHESTER occupiers have been carefully considered.

A robust approach to servicing and infrastructure will be required across the site to ensure that all buildings can be powered and serviced with ease while meeting sustainability objectives.

MIX MANCHESTER will be home to some of the world’s most innovative, forward-thinking businesses, so the campus will have significant power requirements.

The SRF outlines plans to ensure that power capacity for the development is scalable and resilient to guarantee uninterrupted operations at all times.

Renewable energy technology will be utilized on-site as standard, forming an integral part of the wider sustainability objectives for the area and a drive toward net-zero.

On the less glamorous side of things, drainage solutions are intended to be integrated within the landscape design, with a focus on passive and sustainable drainage solutions while conforming to safeguarding restrictions imposed by the airport location.

Capitalizing on person-centric design

MIX MANCHESTER is fundamentally designed with people in mind, with extensive landscaping offering primary pedestrian walking routes around the 60-acre site.

So-called green and blue infrastructure – planting and waterways, in short – will create an expansive, open campus and lush public realm. The aim will be to improve connections to surrounding areas, benefitting local residents and supporting sustainable and inclusive growth in the immediate vicinity.

The approach to the necessary highways that will service the site keeps the interaction with pedestrians firmly in mind, accounting for the specialist needs of the tenants.

Traffic management and segregation will ensure that large vehicles can navigate the site and access buildings easily, while protecting the overall character and pedestrian-focused nature of the public realm.

Several multi-storey car parks will be evenly distributed across the site for staff and visitor use. Nevertheless, the ultimate ambition is to consolidate parking levels given the enviable public transport links provided by Manchester Airport.

In all, MIX MANCHESTER is ready for business, with a substantial part of the vital infrastructure in place to ensure the site will make a positive contribution to the local area from the start.

MIX MANCHESTER has been designed with biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and wellbeing at its core, and 20 bug hotels have already been installed around the site to encourage wildlife to thrive over the coming winter.

From accredited building practices, climate resilience, and positive environmental management, to sustainable transport infrastructure and a commitment to the local community, MIX MANCHESTER will secure a brighter future for everyone.

The public consultation for MIX MANCHESTER is live until 8th October. Please head to mix-manchester.com/consultation/to leave your feedback.

Local children and staff from Woodhouse Park Family Centre in Wythenshawe joined the MIX MANCHESTER team to install a series of special bug hotels for the mini beasts at the 60-acre site at Manchester Airport.

The children, aged 5-11, and their care team helped to create and decorate 20 bug hotels to encourage biodiversity across the site which is being developed with long-term sustainability in mind.

Commenting on this latest community project, Caitlin Callaghan, head of marketing at MAG Property, said: “We recently launched the public consultation for MIX MANCHESTER which has been designed to be a world-class destination for science, innovation and technology businesses. Making a positive contribution to the local area and encouraging biodiversity across the site before, during and after development is crucial to the development’s success and we’re delighted the children were able to join us to create these special habitats for all the insects and bugs that are thriving across the site. These will be carefully preserved and managed during further phases of development to ensure we protect and encourage as much wildlife as possible.”

The children listened to a talk on the importance of biodiversity and wildlife by Clarissa Smith from place designers, Planit – who design for all life to thrive in balance. Clarissa said: “The children were really interested in the need to look after even the smallest of creatures, and they did a great job of decorating their signs which will sit alongside the bug hotels. MIX MANCHESTER has been designed with biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and wellbeing at its core so starting by introducing the local children to see the site and understand which animals already live here is key to achieving the vision.”

Clare North, manager at Woodhouse Park Family Centre, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who was involved in arranging this incredible trip. Our children had an amazing time installing the bug hotels – and were excited to visit a real-life hotel themselves – many for the first time!

“We can’t wait to bring the children back in the coming months so they can see which bug species have already moved into their bug hotels.”

Following the event, the children and team were hosted by Accor for a tour of the Holiday Inn and ibis Budget hotels at MIX MANCHESTER’S hotel district where they enjoyed a picnic lunch and range of nature related activities.

Once completed, MIX MANCHESTER will be one of the largest science and innovation campuses in the UK, delivering two million sq. ft. of high-quality advanced manufacturing and science space. Creating up to 8,000 jobs, It will be the only UK campus of its kind adjacent to an international airport.

Members of the public wishing to view or provide feedback on the plans for MIX MANCHESTER can do so via the website (www.mix-manchester.com) or by calling a dedicated freephone number on 0800 068 8471.

Local in-person events will be held at Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre on Portway, Wythenshawe, on Monday 9 September from 9:30am – 2:30pm and Tuesday 17 September from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.

 

MIX MANCHESTER launches consultation on plans for the UK’s first airport-based science, innovation, and manufacturing campus

The joint venture partnership behind MIX MANCHESTER is taking its plans for the UK’s first airport-based science, innovation, and manufacturing campus to public consultation, following approval in principle of the draft Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) by Manchester City Council’s Executive Committee.

The MIX MANCHESTER SRF has been prepared by planning consultant, CBRE, to deliver a revised masterplan that has been developed by Sheppard Robson over the past two years.

The draft SRF was granted approval in principle by the Manchester City Council Executive Committee on 24 July 2024 to go out to public consultation.

A public consultation will commence on Tuesday 13 August 2024, allowing local residents, the wider community and other key stakeholders the opportunity to share their views on the masterplan. The SRF will then be updated in line with these comments and – following securing the subsequent approval from Manchester City Council – will become a material consideration for the Council as Local Planning Authority.

Members of the public are invited to leave their feedback via the MIX MANCHESTER website (www.mix-manchester.com). Feedback and enquiries can also be sent to feedback@mix-manchester.com or by calling a dedicated freephone number on 0800 068 8471.

Local in-person events will be held at Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre on Portway, Wythenshawe, on Monday 9 September from 9:30am – 2:30pm and Tuesday 17 September from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.

Wythenshawe residents in close proximity to the site will also receive direct communications in the coming weeks, with instructions on how to respond to the consultation.

Speaking on behalf of the joint venture partnership, Gareth Jackson, group property director at Manchester Airports Group, commented: “Since the launch of MIX MANCHESTER in May, we have been working closely with our planning consultant, CBRE, and our wider project team to finalise the draft SRF.

“We are thrilled to gain approval in principle for our masterplan for this ambitious site and look forward to beginning the public consultation – to share our vision for MIX MANCHESTER and engage with the wider community to ensure our plans are well-designed to meet local needs.”

MIX MANCHESTER will see the creation of the UK’s best-connected science, innovation, and manufacturing campus at Manchester Airport.

Located off the new Enterprise Way link road, the 60-acre site will be brought forward in a phased manner, subject to planning approval.

Once completed, the development will be one of the largest science and innovation campuses in the UK, delivering two million sq. ft. of high-quality advanced manufacturing and science space. It will be the only UK campus of its kind adjacent to an international airport and will create up to 8,000 jobs.

Driven by occupier demand, a range of buildings will be available, including advanced manufacturing, research and development, laboratory and office spaces, alongside complementary amenities such as hotels, leisure facilities and public realm.

The JV partnership behind MIX MANCHESTER includes a portfolio of clients represented by Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI), and Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF).

With £30m of joint venture capital having already been invested in highways and utilities infrastructure, MIX MANCHESTER is being brought to market as a ‘shovel-ready’ site. A new pedestrian bridge linking to the main airport site, the Enterprise Way link road and the installation of high voltage electricity and utilities connections have already been completed, as well as three brand new hotels.

JLL and Track Real Estates have been appointed as agents for MIX MANCHESTER.

Dakota Hotels Ltd (Dakota), has submitted a planning application to build its latest boutique hotel atMIX MANCHESTER adjacent to Manchester Airport. Subject to planning the new hotel will align with the group’s ongoing expansion strategy across the United Kingdom, with a particular focus in the North.

Located on a three-acre site off the new Enterprise Way link road and Bailey Lane, the new Dakota will form part of the MIX MANCHESTER masterplan, which was launched last month and will see the creation of the UK’s first airport-based science, innovation, and manufacturing campus.

Designed by KPP Architects, the latest Dakota Hotel will comprise 154 stylish bedrooms alongside a premium bar and brasserie-style Grill on the ground floor and has an estimated £60m development value. The hotel will also provide 130 car parking spaces and offer a dedicated shuttle service to and from the airport terminals.

Following the success of its Manchester city centre site, Dakota Hotels intends to bring the same calibre of experience to guests staying at its MIX MANCHESTER site.

The new Dakota Hotel will join other new amenities at MIX MANCHESTER, including additional hotel and leisure facilities and extensive public realm, all of which is designed to complement the development’s wider masterplan which comprises 2 million sq ft of high-quality science, innovation, and advanced manufacturing space.

The site is ‘shovel-ready’, with £30 million of joint venture capital already invested in highways and utilities infrastructure, including a new pedestrian bridge linking to the main airport site. Driven by occupier demand, a wide range of buildings will be available, including advanced manufacturing, research and development, laboratory and office spaces with the creation of up to 8,000 jobs.

Andrew Ovenstone, Managing Director of Dakota Hotels Ltd, commented: “We are continually seeking exceptional sites for our new hotels as we grow our portfolio across the North. MIX MANCHESTER is in a strategic location enabling us to provide hospitality for our discerning customers and we look forward to being able to extend a warm welcome to guests at this new site subject to planning approval this summer.

“The new hotel is expected to inject approximately £12million per annum to the local economy, with 150 jobs for local people and we have undertaken a local community consultation to help inform theplanning application.”

Gareth Jackson, Group Property Director for Manchester Airports Group, said: “We’re thrilled that Dakota Hotels has chosen MIX MANCHESTER with the announcement coming just weeks after we launched our revised masterplan for the site.

“The Dakota Hotels brand is synonymous with high-quality customer experience. It is the perfect partner to join other forward-thinking companies at MIX MANCHESTER and will provide an exceptional standard of accommodation for employees and visitors alike. With 28 million passengers travelling through the airport every year, this will further boost Manchester’s reputation as a destination for businesses, tourists and is a great additional to the local domestic market.”

Asteer Planning is advising Dakota Hotels.

Join us at this month’s Wythenshawe Business Gateway to hear from our Development Director, Chris Rumsey on our plans for MIX MANCHESTER.

The event is kindly being hosted by Endress & Hauser and it will be a fantastic opportunity for business to network and get to know each other from Wythenshawe and  beyond.

Endress+Hauser Ltd.

Floats Road Wythenshawe M23 9NF

Book your ticket here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bw3-wythenshawe-business-gateway-registration-890856845807

A revised masterplan has been developed which will see the creation of the UK’s best-connected science, innovation, and manufacturing campus at Manchester Airport.

MIX MANCHESTER will be one of the largest science and innovation campuses in the UK, delivering 2 million sq ft of high-quality advanced manufacturing and science space. It will be the only UK campus of its kind adjacent to an international airport and will create up to 8,000 jobs.

Driven by occupier demand, a range of buildings will be available, including advanced manufacturing, research and development, laboratory and office spaces, alongside complementary amenities such as hotels, leisure facilities, and public realm.

The masterplan has been developed by Sheppard Robson over a two-year period and will be delivered under a revised Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the area that will undergo public consultation this summer, prior to formal endorsement by Manchester City Council. Formerly known as Airport City Manchester, the 60-acre site will be brought forward in a phased manner, subject to planning approval.

The JV partnership behind MIX MANCHESTER includes a portfolio of clients represented by Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI), and Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF).

With £30m of joint venture capital having already been invested in highways and utilities infrastructure, MIX MANCHESTER is being brought to market as a ‘shovel-ready’ site. A new pedestrian bridge linking to the main airport site, the Enterprise Way link road, and the installation of high voltage electricity and utilities connections have already been completed, as well as three brand new hotels.

Setting out the JV partnership’s vision for MIX MANCHESTER, Gareth Jackson, group property director for Manchester Airports Group, said: “In recent years, we have seen occupier demand move away from traditional out-of-town offices. This trend, coupled with rapid growth in the advanced manufacturing, life sciences, digital and technology economies and the requirement for highly sustainable work environments has led us to adapt our plans for the next phase of commercial development.

“MIX MANCHESTER will be a dynamic, well-connected, and flexible campus where occupiers can collaborate and be part of a community of forward-thinking pioneers on a global stage.

“Occupiers will have the ability to locate to a high-quality working environment with exemplary sustainability credentials, a place where they can grow on a scale that is unrivalled in the North West. MIX MANCHESTER will be uniquely positioned to serve as Manchester’s innovation gateway.”

Samantha Hadland at Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate said: “Being situated next to an international airport which links 28m passengers a year, MIX MANCHESTER opens a global opportunity for science and innovation businesses wanting to locate in the North West, in particular the burgeoning advanced manufacturing sector. With world-class universities and research institutions on the doorstep with immediate access to secure, global logistics connections through Manchester Airport’s World Freight Terminal, occupiers will have access to an incredible talent pool and unrivalled global connectivity.”

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The vision for MIX MANCHESTER presents another significant investment in our city that enhances our reputation as a centre of excellence in science and innovation – and a further platform for economic growth in our emerging industries. The campus will create thousands of jobs and supports the ongoing regeneration of our communities in Wythenshawe, as well as cementing Manchester’s place as a leader in innovation on a global scale.”

JLL and Track Real Estates have been appointed as agents and CBRE will be acting as planning consultants.