Manchester's international film and arts centre, Cornerhouse, is to join forces with the Library Theatre Company in a new home on First Street. The £19M building will be purpose built and is intended to mark Manchester out as a thriving cultural hub.
"These highly imaginative proposals will be a win-win for Manchester," said council leader Richard Leese. "In the aftermath of the recession and facing unprecedented public sector cuts this is exactly the sort of scheme we need to get people into work, get our economy moving even faster, and show the world that Manchester is still an ambitious city still on the up."
Cornerhouse has long been one of the UK's leading independent cinemas, with three screens. The new centre will have five and will make it easier for the team to run multi-platform events and festivals. It is expected that it will continue to host the ¡Viva! (Spanish and Latin American) and Exposures (student) film festivals.
Cornerhouse director Dave Moutrey has welcomed the plan. "This is a fantastic opportunity to create a unique, audience-focused centre for the arts and we are thrilled to be at the heart of it," he said.
The new building, which will mostly be funded by money allocated in last year's budget, is expacted to be finished in 2014.
