Plans to convert Manchester’s derelict Mayfield train station into a cultural venue have been derailed after the property’s owner announced it wants to use the location for rail improvements, The Business Desk reports.
The decision appears to have brought an end to plans from the Mayfield Depot Partnership to transform the property into a food, film, arts, music, and fashion venue over the next three to five years.
The depot has previously been used as an arts venue by Manchester International Festival. Last summer it staged a collaboration between the band Massive Attack and documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis.
Now, according to the contents of a leaked letter seen by The Business Desk, London and Continental Railways (LCR), which owns the site, has decided to bring an end to discussions about leasing the depot as an interim arts and entertainment venue.
The leaked letter goes on to say that LCR has identified a use for the property within the updated Network Rail Northern Hub construction plans.
The letter also states LCR hopes that both projects may be able to proceed “as quickly as possible.”
While the letter points out that no agreement had been signed with Network Rail, it was unlikely that the proposed interim cultural use would go ahead due to timescale considerations.
The Mayfield Depot on Fairfield Street opened in 1910 as a four-platform station to relieve crowding at Piccadilly Station. It was closed to passengers in 1960 and shut down completely in 1986.
