New Manchester arena ‘Co-op Live’ will create 3,350 construction jobs
18 May 2021
Clare Magness
Construction has started on Manchester’s Co-op Live arena a brand new 23,500-seater venue next to the Etihad Football Stadium. The £350m build is set to be the UK’s biggest entertainment arena and it will “kickstart” a wave of economic activity and job creation in the North West region. The project developer OVG Real Estate said that on average Co-op Live’s construction site will have 400 people working on it daily.
Salford based BAM Construct UK estimated that more than 2,000 people in total will work on the site over its three-year construction phase. Which is the majority of the total number of 3,350 jobs that the project will support from now to completion in 2023.
The remaining Construction jobs will be created in local industries who are contracted to supply the site.
Once open ‘Co-op Live’ will create a further 1,000 operational jobs.
Tim Leiweke, chief executive of OVG Real Estate, stated “The beginning of the construction of Co-op Live is an exciting step in our plans to deliver one of Europe’s best and most sustainable arenas in Manchester.”
Work has started, with millions of pounds of bulk excavation and remediation work underway that will provide work for the region’s hauliers and plant companies. Orders for £150m of future work and supplies have been placed with local firms keeping the ethos to support local jobs and through this the positive impact of our investment is already being felt.”
According to BAM, 9,000 tons of steelwork will be provided from a depot in Bolton, while a huge order for mechanical and electrical works has been placed with a firm based in Manchester. The façade and roof are being delivered by a firm in Cheadle.
Many other support services will be provided by local companies from concrete, grouting, and lifts to smaller contracts for hoardings, welfare, cleaning, catering, and security.
There will also be a programme of apprenticeships which will be announced once the construction programme progresses.
Robert Doherty, operations director for SES Electrical Company which is delivering the full mechanical and electrical works for the scheme said “As a local contractor our team mainly live and work in and around Manchester and this project has a real buzz about it. It has got everyone here excited and it is terrific for us to be involved. We are engaging with our own supply chain ensuring that packages are delivered by companies from the Manchester area. We will have over 100 people working on this project, creating opportunities for local people to be involved.”
Ian Fleming, the Director of BAM Construction in the North West said “Working smarter means working safer for those 2000 people that will contribute to the development of the site using technology and techniques like off-site manufacturing. We rely on the quality of our supply chain here in the North West and how well we work with them to integrate all these elements together. Greater Manchester has got the talent and resources we need, and it means BAM’s work here for this northern landmark will boost the local economy and bring big social benefits for people living here, all of which is a source of great pride to me".