The Importance of The Corridor

The Corridor is Manchester’s economic and knowledge powerhouse. The ‘über campus’ of the Corridor is home to The University of Manchester, the Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – making the Corridor not only the largest education campus in the UK but also the largest clinical academic campus in Europe. The University of Manchester is one of the UK’s leading academic and research universities and MMU has a complementary offer, producing world class professionals. The CMFT is the country’s foremost research hospital. All these institutions come together to deliver a strong commitment to innovation and knowledge-based business growth.

Manchester has ambitious growth plans. Building on its original-modern heritage, the city is an international business, research & development and learning centre. The Corridor is a key driver for the growth ambitions of the city and central to Manchester’s ‘knowledge economy’ focus.

But the contribution that Manchester and the Corridor can make goes beyond the ambitions of the city itself. Manchester is the fertile ground upon which the UK economy can grow. The opportunity for the city was outlined in the Manchester Independent Economic Review (MIER) of April 2009:

“Manchester is probably the UK city outside London most likely to be able to increase its long-term growth rate, to access international networks and enjoy strong connections to the rest of the world. However, it is currently punching below its weight given its size. We believe this is an opportunity: the city has the potential to grow faster and to continue to reinvent itself and regain its historical dynamism”

To visit the MIER website click here

Our initial development framework for Corridor Manchester over 10 years ago set out an ambitious plan for the redevelopment of the area over a 20-year period. This framework (download:Summary download:Framework ) suggested that long-term investment had the potential to transform infrastructure and competitiveness, as well as generate a significant number of new jobs.

The development of the Corridor is one of the ways in which Manchester can continue to grow and assert its historical dynamism as advocated by MIER reviewers.