greater manchester
investment opportunities
A track record of success
Over the past two decades, Manchester has seen unprecedented growth and laid the foundations for delivering further transformational change across its economies, places and communities. Greater Manchester has become the UK’s centre for growth, positive change and new ideas.
The region is now home to the fastest-growing economy in the UK and a diverse industry base. It is a leading destination for FDI, a hub for culture, and a regular feature in global tourism must-visit lists. Our track record of success has given us the confidence to back our places and pioneer a new decade of good growth by unlocking the full potential of our region, targeting funding and effort at projects that will boost economic output.
Andy Burnham
Mayor of Greater Manchester
“Greater Manchester is raising the bar on growth. Over the past decade, our region has been growing at double the UK average, increasing the size of our economy by £19bn, building 100,000 homes, and celebrating successes such as our new integrated public transport system.
While we know the last decade has been hugely successful, Greater Manchester is now setting even higher ambitions for the next 10 years.
We are championing a new growth model focused on rapid and large-scale urban regeneration. To achieve this, we have launched an innovative investment fund. Our region is backing our places and shaping investment in a way we believe will help them reach their full potential, creating thousands of high-quality jobs, homes, and innovation districts that will help all our residents live good lives.
We know that Greater Manchester can only meet its inclusive growth ambitions with the support of partners who share our ambition and believe in our places as much as we do.
This prospectus will outline how we plan to drive forward a new decade of good growth and highlight the range of opportunities that make up our integrated growth pipeline. It will show how you can be a part of the UK’s most exciting city-region and help us build tomorrow, delivering for everyone in every place.”
Cllr Bev Craig
Leader of Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester & Lead for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth
“As the UK’s fastest-growing city-region, Greater Manchester has spent the last decade gaining new insight, understanding and confidence about how we can grow a modern, innovative and innovation-led economy.
With more global businesses choosing Greater Manchester and more business births than any region outside of London, Greater Manchester’s economy continues to go from strength to strength, demonstrating some of the highest growth forecasts in Europe.
By leveraging our sector strengths and innovation assets, harnessing our cultural legacy and investing in people and talent, we’re creating a world-class business destination and vibrant place to live. Having, in recent years, bucked national and global trends in the face of a challenging economic context, we are confident that we can continue this current trajectory. We are determined not only to accelerate our rate of growth but also to make sure it is more fairly distributed across our 10 boroughs, lifting all people, businesses and places within them.
This prospectus demonstrates that level of ambition, showcasing some of the transformative projects in regeneration, innovation and infrastructure that will help us drive a new decade of good growth.”
View the investment opportunities
Greater Manchester has a long track record of delivering successful large-scale developments. Discover the current opportunities shaping the city region...
MANCHESTER AT A GLANCE
Greater Manchester is one of the UK’s most competitive places to invest, powered by a £100 billion economy, a diverse and expanding population and a deep concentration and legacy of innovation, research and industry. The region brings together exceptional talent, global connectivity and a collaborative approach that supports long-term growth.
- £100bn – Largest city-region economy outside London
- 3m – Greater Manchester population
- 3.1% – Average annual economic growth (2015–2023), compared to 1.3% nationally
- 124,000 – Students with over a 50% retention rate across five universities
- Up to 18% – Lower operating costs than London
- 60% – Of all UK businesses within a two-hour drive time
- 9m – People aged 16+ within a one-hour commute
- 26 – Nobel Laureates linked to Greater Manchester
- Most liveable city in the UK – Economist Global Liveability Index 2024
- UK’s fastest-growing tech sector – Rachel Reeves, 2025
- #1 regional city for international investment for a decade – OCO Global, 2024
Key developments
WHY MANCHESTER
A track record of success
Over the past decade, Manchester has seen unprecedented growth and laid the foundations for delivering further transformational change across its economies, places and communities. Greater Manchester has become the UK’s centre for growth, positive change and new ideas.
The region is now home to the fastest-growing economy in the UK and a diverse industry base. It is a leading destination for FDI, a hub for culture, and a regular feature in global tourism must-visit lists.
Our track record of success has given us the confidence to back our places and pioneer a new decade of good growth by unlocking the full potential of our region, targeting funding and effort at projects that will boost economic output.
A leader in English Devolution
As a leader in English Devolution, Greater Manchester has the tools at its disposal to pioneer a new decade of progress. Over the last decade, the region has brought public transport back under local control, gained greater planning powers, revised post-16 education and gained greater control over budgets to solve challenges like business growth, housing and reducing economic inactivity.
Our recent trailblazer devolution deal gives us more freedom and flexibility to pioneer a new approach to public investment by bringing together different streams of funding into a single investment pot. This will allow us to prioritise projects and services that truly matter to people as well as streamline and simplify our investment pipeline. By working together across all 10 local authorities, GM can unlock a new form of economic growth where no one is left behind.
Drivers for growth
Greater Manchester is using its devolved powers to invest in the foundations for growth, including homes, transport, infrastructure, skills and the natural environment. This will create a catalyst for economic activity and ensure growth reaches every person in every part of the region.
From creating quality, low-carbon homes at all levels of affordability to creating new neighbourhoods, Greater Manchester is committed to creating a healthy, safe, warm space for everyone to call home. Collaborations with private sector partners and tools such as Mayoral Development Corporations are helping us to create a well-balanced housing market, delivering the kind of housing residents need in low-carbon, vibrant neighbourhoods.
Greater Manchester is connecting people to opportunity via an integrated public transport system, The Bee Network, which offers sustainable, affordable, and reliable connectivity for people across the region. This will improve access to quality jobs, innovation districts, skills and training opportunities.
Futureproofing the region and investing in low-carbon technologies alongside sustainable developments will help the region meet its target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2038. This includes dedication to retrofit existing building stock, innovate in green technology, support the natural environment and invest in green skills.
The region is now home to the fastest-growing economy in the UK and a diverse industry base. It is a leading destination for FDI, a hub for culture, and a regular feature in global tourism must-visit lists.
Our track record of success has given us the confidence to back our places and pioneer a new decade of good growth by unlocking the full potential of our region, targeting funding and effort at projects that will boost economic output.
A hub of talent
Greater Manchester benefits from a rapidly growing population. Our universities produce 36,000 high-quality graduates every year with a leading retention rate, and the city of Manchester has one of Europe’s largest commuter workforces with 7.2 million within a one-hour travel time of the city centre. This talent pool is a draw for some of the world’s biggest and most dynamic businesses.
The region is now pioneering a world-leading technical education system, with the introduction of the the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate giving young people a clear line of sight to high-quality jobs in our growing economy. This will make sure our skills system is aligned with the needs of local businesses, creating a resilient and diverse workforce ready for employment.
Initiatives like our regeneration skills academy and homebuilding hubs on live project sites will help to upskill the built environment workforce, creating new pathways to good jobs and improving our capacity to deliver our ambitious growth plans.
A great place to do business
Manchester is a leading European business destination and attracts the most FDI outside of London. Already home to over 2,000 foreign-owned businesses, Greater Manchester is working to unlock the potential of each of our growth-driving “frontier” sectors and position ourselves as a competitive destination for business.
By building on decades of successful public-private partnerships, we will create nationally significant and globally connected economic clusters in our high-growth sectors: dvanced Manufacturing and Materials, Life Science and Healthcare, Digital and Technology, Creative and Media, Low Carbon, and Financial and Professional Services. These are the parts of our economy with the highest potential for growth if we can create the right support and spaces for firms to start up and spin out here.
By nurturing existing strengths but also prioritising new, rising sectors including AI, Fintech, Genomics, and Cyber Security, we can enable cross-industry collaborations, drive productivity and allow businesses to innovate.
Our integrated pipeline will create new innovation districts like Sister, MIX Manchester and Crescent Salford alongside larger sites like Atom Valley, the North West’s largest development site focused on high-value manufacturing and research and development, and the Health Innovation Campus in the Wigan and Bolton Growth Corridor. This will establish us as a leading destination for innovation, new ideas and industry collaboration.
A cultural powerhouse
Culture is pivotal to driving growth as it helps to create desirable, interesting places to live and acts as a magnet for talent. For a city to be great, it must have elements of fun that make people want to live and work there.
Greater Manchester has always been known as a hive of culture and sport, with a vibrant music scene, champion football clubs and a visitor economy offering that has gained critical acclaim in recent years. This cultural and lifestyle offer means Manchester is widely regarded as the UK’s most liveable city, and as proof, it was the highest-ranking UK city in the Global Liveability Index 2025.
In recent years, the region has made a significant investment in the arts to help its global reputation, make civic connections and create an artistic powerhouse that will create jobs and new opportunities. It draws in global megastars, major sporting events and huge cultural moments.
However, this doesn’t stop in the city centre. By drawing on existing assets across the city region and preserving the unique heritage and culture of our towns, Greater Manchester is creating highly desirable neighbourhoods that will attract talent of all generations. Connecting these places to the urban core provides an unrivalled lifestyle offer with one of the world’s most exciting cities just minutes away.
Clear strategies and vision
Learning from the past decade of growth, Greater Manchester has put in place strategies and established shared ambitions that can give investors and private sector partners confidence in the region’s ability to deliver.
The region has established a 10-year pipeline for growth, backed by a collective vision to create a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life, ensuring every place and person can benefit from success.
Our integrated pipeline maps out physical developments across each of our 10 local authorities that will change the face of our city region in the decade to come. This will help the region and its partners to deliver thousands of new homes, transform and revive town centres, grow the productive city region core, build new employment and innovation sites, grow businesses and create high-quality jobs, as well as provide the energy and transport infrastructure that underpins it all.
By sequencing development through our Integrated Pipeline, we can ensure supporting infrastructure and public services are lined up to create thriving, well-connected, low-carbon communities with access to green spaces.
Collaboration as standard
The region’s success so far can be attributed to its strong leadership and unique hyper-collaborative approach, working across local authorities, across sectors, and working closely with private sector partners. We’re now looking to build on decades of successful public-private partnership to help deliver new neighbourhoods, globally connected economic clusters and revitalise our towns.
Instead of competing against each other, Greater Manchester believes in the power of collaboration, cooperation, and participation. It realises that delivering inclusive growth is a joint venture and every part of the GM system must play its part.
Armed with a clear vision and pipeline of opportunity, Greater Manchester is making it easier for the private sector to join our region’s growth journey. By thinking more creatively and working collaboratively to solve issues like land ownership, planning restrictions and skills gaps, the region can become a driving force for growth.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Want to help shape the future of the city region? Discover the current investment opportunities...
Good Growth Fund
We’ve used our devolved powers to create our GM Good Growth Fund. The £1 billion GM Good Growth Fund will pump prime our pipeline of growth-driving projects across the city-region, making them viable and building investor confidence. This is a new approach to public investment that will help us bridge the funding gap for projects where the market hasn’t been willing to lend.
Our ‘good growth’ plan represents a new economic model. By getting every part of our city region is growing, it will make sure everyone can contribute to and benefit from continued growth and no one and no place is left behind.
The economic potential is huge. If we maintain our current trajectory, by 2035, our economy will be 36% bigger than it is today, adding a further £38 billion to the UK economy.
Strategic Location & Global Connectivity
Greater Manchester’s central position, strong transport network and international airport make it one of the UK’s best-connected business locations. The region offers seamless access to global markets, national supply chains and major economic clusters across the North of England. Ongoing investment in the Bee Network is creating a more integrated, reliable and accessible transport system that will support growth for years to come.
- Manchester Airport connects to more than 200 global destinations and is the largest airport in the UK outside London, offering direct long-haul services to North America, the Middle East and Asia.
- Extensive rail links to major UK cities including London, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with journey times to London of around two hours.
- Manchester Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria form one of the busiest rail networks outside London, with long-term plans for improved capacity, better reliability and a future underground connection to support growth.
- One of the UK’s best-connected motorway hubs, with fast access via the M60 ring road, the M62 east–west route, the M6 north–south corridor and the M56 link to Manchester Airport.
- The Bee Network is the UK’s first unified transport system outside London, bringing buses, trams and trains together under a single brand, with significant further investment planned over the coming years to enhance reliability, connectivity and network coverage.
- Metrolink, Greater Manchester’s tram network and the largest light-rail system in the UK, has more than 99 stops connecting key business districts, universities, hospitals and growth areas.
- Port Salford provides direct links between road, rail and the Manchester Ship Canal, enabling fast movement of goods across the region.
- The region’s location provides quick access to Liverpool2, a deep-water container terminal supporting global trade.
- Full-fibre broadband and expanding 5G coverage support advanced manufacturing, digital industries and future mobility technologies.
- Greater Manchester’s 2040 Transport Strategy sets out a long-term plan for a cleaner, more connected and low-carbon transport system.
Growth locations
Greater Manchester’s plan to turbocharge growth and deliver new jobs and homes will target investment at six growth locations. These nationally significant, shovel-ready sites have the potential to deliver economic growth across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, building on existing industrial strengths, assets and opportunities.
Through a place-based approach to investment will ensure that these growth locations have the infrastructure and services needed to create well-connected and sustainable communities linked to high-quality jobs within flourishing sectors.
Research shows that just one Growth Location scheme could unlock 48,000 new jobs, 17,000 new homes, and add £4.2 billion to the local economy.
Investment success stories
Greater Manchester has a long track record of delivering successful large-scale developments across commercial, residential, cultural and industrial sectors. These projects have reshaped the city-region, attracted global occupiers, delivered new homes and created high-quality places for people to live and work. Together, they demonstrate Manchester’s ability to turn ambition into delivery and provide a strong foundation for future investment.
St John's
St John’s is a £1.3bn mixed-use district that has become a flagship location for digital and creative industries. Anchored by Booking.com’s global headquarters, Cloud Imperium Games and Aviva Studios, the area demonstrates Manchester’s ability to attract global firms and support the growth of fast-moving creative and tech businesses.
Noma
NOMA’s 80-acre city centre regeneration continues to deliver sustainable, high-quality workspace. The recent completion of 4 Angel Square and Bank of New York’s 200,000 sq ft letting highlights strong occupier demand for future-focused office developments. New Century House and New Century Hall have also been successfully restored as cultural and creative assets.
MediaCity (Salford Quays)
MediaCity is Europe’s largest purpose-built digital and media hub and home to the BBC, ITV and more than 250 creative and tech businesses. A £1bn expansion will double the site’s size, strengthening Greater Manchester’s position as a global centre for content creation, digital innovation and broadcasting.
Mayfield
Mayfield is a £1.5bn regeneration project transforming a former industrial site into a new district for work, leisure and green space. Its centrepiece, Mayfield Park, is Manchester’s first new city centre park in over a century and a catalyst for the development of 2.3m sq ft of office space, 1,500 homes and new retail and leisure opportunities.
Etihad Campus & Co-op Live
The Etihad Campus continues to secure major investment from City Football Group, including the £265m Co-op Live arena and a £300m expansion of the Etihad Stadium. These developments further strengthen Manchester’s visitor economy, creating new jobs and enhancing the city’s reputation for sport, entertainment and live events.
Victoria North
Victoria North is the largest residential development programme in Manchester’s history. The long-term partnership plans to deliver 15,000 new homes across seven emerging neighbourhoods and a new 46-hectare city park, supporting significant regeneration across north Manchester.
Stockport Town Centre
Stockport is undergoing a £1bn transformation, now regarded as one of the UK’s most successful town-centre regeneration programmes. The redevelopment of Weir Mill and the delivery of more than 1,200 new homes are reshaping the town centre and strengthening its role as a major Greater Manchester growth location.
Trafford Park & Logistics North
Trafford Park, the largest planned industrial estate in Europe and the 3m sq ft Logistics North development continue to attract major global occupiers including Amazon, Lidl, Aldi and Komatsu. These sites demonstrate Greater Manchester’s strength in logistics, manufacturing and supply chain operations.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Want to help shape the future of the city region? Discover the current investment opportunities...
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