Manchester’s Band on the Wall granted £3.5million expansion

Band on the Wall has been granted permission for a three and a half million pound expansion. The city council have approved plans for the jazz and blues club to take over and refurbish the derelict Cocozza building at the rear of the property, meaning the venue will increase from a 350 to 500 capacity, plus open up a kitchen, terrace bar and learning complex including a rooftop A/V suite, allowing young people and education participants to create new digital work by engaging with international touring artists.

The Cocozza is one of the few remaining structures from the Victorian Smithfield Market in the North East of Manchester City Centre. BOTW say the next stages for development are  the final purchase agreement going through, and then securing second-stage funding from Arts Council England.

Gavin Sharp, CEO, Band on the Wall said: “There has been a music venue operating at Band on the Wall for over a century, and we want to make sure it will be here for at least another 100 years. Bringing the Cocozza building into our footprint means we can significantly increase the main venue capacity, expand and upgrade our learning facilities and create a second smaller, intimate venue on-site which will have a capacity of 80. Together with our learning and participation partners we will be able to nurture many more emerging local and international artists, help develop new talent with our expanded facilities, and help foster learning in the new education and archive spaces being created on the top floor. I am delighted our plans have received planning consent from Manchester City Council.”