Atom Valley (including Northern Gateway and SMMC),

Atom Valley will be an advanced materials and manufacturing mega-cluster, providing a holistic and high-quality employment, residential, and cultural offer to drive jobs and investment in the northern boroughs of Greater Manchester and a rebalancing of the city region's economy. It includes Northern Gateway, which attracts Investment Zone status and is Greater Manchester's biggest and most significant employment allocation with giga-scale potential. Northern Gateway aligns with the Greater Manchester Good Growth strategy, driving at-scale positive economic growth and contributing to a new advanced manufacturing base for Greater Manchester, whilst also being well placed to access the human talent of Bury, Rochdale, Manchester and beyond via strategic transport connections. The Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) is at the core of an emerging UK materials innovation network, and a vital stepping stone in the trajectory of growing businesses founded on the R&D strengths of Greater Manchester's world-class universities.

Lead Sponsor

Across Atom Valley, delivery partners include Harworth Group and Willmott Dixon, developers with proven delivery expertise, capability, and track record. Atom Valley MDZ brings together expertise across three councils, GMCA, TfGM, University of Manchester, Hopwood Hall College, National Physical Laboratory, Department for Transport, National Highways, and developers to drive forward the vision. Northern Gateway MDC was established in January 2026 to align public sector support for the development, including infrastructure provision. SMMC and the innovation campus include Homes England as landowner, alongside NCC, CPI, Royce and NPL as partners.

Asset Class

Commercial, Leisure & hospitality, Offices

Sector Focus

Advanced materials & manufacturing, Low carbon

Investment Ask

Total GDV in excess of £1bn.

Investors can participate through:
– Purchase of serviced land parcels for development
– Purchase of buildings delivered by developers on a speculative or build-to-suit basis, with potential units of up to in excess of 1m sq ft

Occupiers can engage through:
– Bespoke build-to-suit opportunities in line with specific requirements
– Smaller-scale occupation down to individual suites

Structure: commercial equity investment with private delivery partners.

Planning Status

The Atom Valley area benefits from significant planning certainty:

– Strategic allocations secured through the Places for Everyone plan
– SMMC fully consented and on site
– Northern Gateway includes consented elements, with approximately 50% of the employment development footprint subject to a live outline planning application likely to be determined in 2026
– Northern Gateway residential: approximately 1,000 homes with consent, many already delivered or in delivery
– Stakehill subject to planning applications for approximately 1,500 homes and 140,000 sq ft of employment space

Key Metrics

– 17m sqft of employment floorspace
– 7,000 new homes
– 20,000 new jobs

Development Timeline

SMMC on-site’s practical completion date is Summer 2027. The adjacent innovation campus to follow.

Northern Gateway’s initial residential phases are on site, with first employment phases from 2027 and likely occupation-ready from 2029 onwards. The overall delivery programme spans 10 or more years.

For More Information

For further information contact David Hilton (david.hilton@midas.org.uk) at Invest Manchester, or local authority contacts Mark Robinson, Paul Lakin and Alex Maynard.

Further information: www.atom-valley.co.uk