Employees of the media firm are to be relocated to office space in MediaCityUK’s Orange Tower, close to the Manchester Ship Canal and the purpose-built television studios where ITV’s leading programmes are set to be made.
ITV bosses have described the agreement as a reflection of their organisation’s commitment to working in the north-west of England, while Peel is pleased to have such a high-profile company tied to a long-term lease arrangement.
Meanwhile, councillors from Trafford, the borough on the other side of the same canal, are celebrating the news that ITV’s long-running soap opera Coronation Street is set to be filmed in the Trafford Wharf area of the rapidly changing Salford Quays.
“ITV is an outstanding international brand producing a fantastic range of popular programmes and I am delighted it has taken a strategic decision to move to MediaCityUK,” commented John Whittaker, the Peel Group’s chairman.
“This is a landmark deal for both MediaCityUK and The Peel Group, and is critical in helping to deliver the long-term vision that we share with all our partners,” he added.
A number of locally prominent organisations have made commitments to start occupying studio and office space at MediCityUK in recent months, including the likes of BBC North, Satellite Information Services and the University of Salford, all of which Peel considers to be “key occupiers”.
The Peel Group is among the most active property development businesses in the northwest of England, with several schemes across Merseyside set to establish millions of square feet of high-quality office space in the region over the course of the next decade.
Editor’s notes: ITV completed the first phase of its move to MediaCityUK in March 2013 followed by two further phases in the same year. The last phase involved moving the set of Coronation Street to the site.