The residents of Coronation Street will have a new precinct to visit later this year as the ITV soap extends its set.
The two storey construction will feature maisonettes, a staircase and balcony leading to the properties, a piazza and an array of accessible local shops and units, extending the set based on the programme’s 7.7 acre site in Trafford, near Manchester.
Work on the new set begins this week and is expected to take around six months to complete.
It has been designed by the show’s production designer Rosie Mulllins-Hoyle. “We are extremely excited to be starting to build Weatherfield Precinct this week after a year of technical drawings, model making, visualising and planning,” she said. “An incredible amount of research has been carried out focussing on 1960s local architecture and we are striving to create an authentic area of Weatherfield with a grittier vibe to the existing street that we know and love.
“The build is being led by myself and construction manager Keith Eccleston and is a fantastic opportunity to use some of the amazing behind the scene talents we have on the show with bespoke joinery, scenic art work, graphic design and set dressing skills all being involved.”
Located on the Manchester Ship Canal and directly opposite MediaCityUK, the Coronation Street production facility became the programme’s home in 2014.
Coronation Street series producer Iain MacLeod added: “The fabled Weatherfield Precinct has been much discussed, but little seen on the show in our 61 years, and I am really excited to be expanding the Coronation Street universe. The plans for the shopping area are drawn directly from the real-world Salford environs that inspired the show’s creator Tony Warren and exemplify the authenticity and ambition we still prize as we move to hour-long episodes this week.”
