Designed to provide freelancers, businesses and remote workers with a flexible, cost-effective way of accessing high-quality workspaces on-demand
Service launches across Bruntwood Works’ Pioneer portfolio in Manchester from 17th May

Workspace and leisure provider Bruntwood Works has launched a new ‘Pay as You Go’ (PAYG) service, offering day passes for its coworking spaces across Manchester city centre. The move comes in response to customers’ increased appetite for flexible working experiences as many start to think about their return to the office post-lockdown.

The initiative is designed to support freelancers, small businesses, remote workers or even larger businesses who are looking at increased flexibility as they return to work, and it provides a quality, cost-effective solution that enables them to book day passes for Bruntwood Works’ portfolio of Pioneer workspaces in Manchester.

Available at Blackfriars House, Neo and Bloc, people will be able to choose from a range of coworking passes that provide access to shared lounges or a dedicated desk space. Prices start at just £3 per hour, with half-day passes costing £7.50 and a full day pass costing £12.

At Blackfriars House, PAYG customers will be able to work from the beautifully refurbished communal lounge and make use of the shared kitchen with complimentary refreshments. Alternatively, customers can grab an artisan brew and pastries from Bean’s onsite coffee shop. At Neo, PAYG customers can enjoy a coworking lounge complete with a variety of design-led seating areas and a roof terrace with unique bookable meeting pods.

Bruntwood Works’ latest Pioneer building Bloc will be ready to welcome PAYG customers on Tuesday 1st June. Here people will find a dynamic leisure and hospitality offering, which includes a yoga studio by FORM and café from local favourites Trove, as part of a workspace designed around powering productivity and wellbeing. There’s even a sleep pod to recharge your day with a quick power nap.

Across all buildings, people will be able to book space in shared lounges, a dedicated desk space or meeting rooms via the Bruntwood Works website, or they can simply arrive in the building and book at reception. Customers will also have full access to the wide range of amenities on offer, including Wi-Fi, communal space, refreshments and facilities.

Andrew Cooke, strategic director at Bruntwood Works, said: “We designed this flexible solution after many conversations with our customers and businesses, which told us that flexibility is a top priority across the board. People are looking for easy, cost-effective ways of finding inspiring, exciting workspaces to be able to work remotely and away from home.

“Pay As You Go marks another important step to empowering people to choose the space that suits their needs. Whether it’s a cosy, quiet space to promote deep concentration, or open, vibrant and collaborative lounges with the bustling backdrop of a friendly coffee shop for meetings, we have it all – along with a simple booking process to allow customers to step into a new environment.

“Flexibility and hybrid working is a priority for businesses of all sizes, from larger firms looking to support remote working, to freelancers looking for a professional setting. Many people have used lockdown as an opportunity to pursue their ambitions and set up their own businesses, so this new service also offers these entrepreneurs a flexible first rung on the ladder as they grow and look to begin using office space.”

The PAYG service is the latest in a line of new products from Bruntwood Works that respond to the changing needs of businesses, as people increasingly embrace a hybrid way of working.

In 2020, Bruntwood Works launched Office Share, which provides businesses with the option to partner with a ‘business buddy’ and spend just two to three days in the office each. The company also already provides a wide range of flexible solutions, including co-working spaces, memberships to use their workspace and dedicated desks, as well as the range of leased and Made & Managed spaces.

Bruntwood Works’ Pioneer programme has seen the developer invest £50m into existing assets to create forward-thinking workspaces designed to improve wellbeing and work through greater productivity, creativity and innovation. The company’s Pioneer portfolio includes Blackfriars House, 111 Piccadilly, Neo and soon-to-be-launched Bloc, all of which are in the heart of Manchester city centre and offer customers a different and unique workspace.

Plans have been submitted by Victor (Old Trafford) Ltd, a joint venture between MC Construction and The McGoff Group, for an exciting new residential development on brownfield land to the east of Warwick Road South in Old Trafford.

The proposals would result in an exceptional new apartment scheme with enhanced amenities and social spaces designed for high quality, post-pandemic living. Set over three distinctive four and five storey blocks, the development comprises 126 apartments (78 one bed and 48 two bed) with internal balconies set around an attractive open air inner courtyard.

An integral part of the overall design concept, the inner courtyard promotes the flow of fresh air around the development and offers a mix of considered hard and soft landscaping and embedded seating areas to enable residents to socialise safely.

Internally, apartments are generously sized and benefit from a modern layout. They are dual aspect with large windows to provide good ventilation, plus a flexible floorplan that meets the increasing need for a home office or studio set up allowing for living and working in comfort.

Close to good public transport links, including the Metrolink stop at Old Trafford, and offering 25 car parking spaces and cycle storage for all apartments, the development also has superb sustainability credentials.

The scheme was designed by architects Corstorphine & Wright with Paul Butler Associates as planning consultants.

If the planning application is successful, work will start in Q4 2021. McGoff Construction, part of the McGoff Group, will take the role of main contractor.

Director at MC Construction, Mike Purcell, said: “We commenced site assembly along Warwick Road South in 2016. Our intention is the much needed regeneration of the brownfield area adjacent to a transport hub which acts as gateway to the world-renowned Old Trafford. We have had positive talks with Trafford Council over several years about our development plans which complement its Civic Quarter Masterplan to the opposite side of the Metrolink tracks. We are delighted to have now submitted plans for a quality scheme with our partners at The McGoff Group.”

Director at The McGoff Group, Chris McGoff, said: “We are really excited about the plans for Warwick Road South. The Old Trafford area has huge potential and we believe the development will make a positive contribution to the redevelopment of the area making use of a brownfield site in a highly sustainable location close to public transport links and good local facilities.”

Based in Altrincham, The McGoff Group is a £150m collective of like-minded businesses with a seamless ability to acquire, design, build, operate and maintain across targeted healthcare, residential and commercial sectors making it the favoured choice for clients, funders, joint venture partners and supply chain partners alike. Driven by second-generation family values, innovation, excellence and operational expertise, the McGoff name signifies quality, agility and an unbreakable force that is well equipped to sustain the business for future generations to come.