New arts centre allowed to operate 24 hours a day

A major new arts centre in Manchester will be allowed to operate 24-hours-a day despite concerns about noise.

The £211m Factory International venue will become the permanent home of the Manchester International Festival.

It has been granted a 24-hour licence which allows alcohol to be sold until 04:00 every night.

But neighbours of the former Granada TV Studios site have objected to the application, describing the opening hours as “excessive”.

In particular, they argued that selling alcohol until 04:00 would result in noise disturbances, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The flagship arts centre, which is mostly funded by the government and Arts Council England, is the largest investment in a national cultural project since the opening of the Tate Modern in 2000, according to the team behind it.

Manchester City Council has also contributed millions towards the project with a further £25m requested last year due to the rising costs of construction.

Representing Factory International at a licensing hearing on Monday, Rebecca Lowe said the project’s funding deal requires a “rich diversity” of events at the venue, and this could include late night music.

But she assured councillors that the venue would not turn into a nightclub.

Speaking at the town hall hearing, she said: “We can’t give detail of all the sorts of events that might take place at this venue over its lifetime because its very reason for being is to be a groundbreaking, cutting edge venue.”

The application was approved with additional conditions limiting the capacity of the outdoor area to a maximum of 2,000 people and requiring a regular residents’ forum to be held to discuss any issues arising from the licence.

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