ITV to grow Coronation Street Tours
The broadcaster has received consent to expand tour operations of the iconic soap opera set by building a 16,600 sq ft extension to its studios.
Under plans approved by Trafford Council, ITV will construct a three-story, multipurpose building to serve as a home for Coronation Street Tours, the popular attraction that gives fans a 90-minute guided tour through the fictional town of Weatherfield, where the programme is set.
Those who join the tour are currently asked to assemble at MediaCityUK, on the opposite side of the Manchester Ship Canal from the Coronation Street studios, before being walked over to participate in the tour.
The new facility will negate the need for fans to walk to the studios, and therefore improve the experience.
The project includes a first-floor Coronation Street visitor experience area, as well as a café bar on the ground floor, merchandising and ticket sales facilities, and exhibition and conference space.
ITV’s television studios occupy a ten-acre site off Trafford Wharf Road next to the Imperial War Museum. The new tour building is to be erected to the southeast of the site next to Studio Four.
The architect for the scheme is Jenkins Design Group, which also designed the Coronation Street set when the show relocated to Trafford from its Quay Street studios in 2013. WYG acted as transport consultant.
Quay Street is now being redeveloped by Manchester Quays, a joint venture between Allied London and Manchester City Council, as part of the St John’s regeneration zone.
