Regeneration specialist Urban Splash has snapped up Beehive Mill - the birthplace of legendary club Sankey’s.

The Grade II listed former cotton mill in Ancoats, which closed its doors earlier this year, will be turned into workspaces.

It is the third major acquisition by the Manchester-based developer in the past 10 months.

Nathan Cornish, director at Urban Splash said: “We’re delighted to have finally bought Beehive Mill. We make no secret we’ve tried and failed to buy this building in the past so it’s been a long-term target for us.

“A lot of people, including us at Urban Splash, know the building as the home of Sankey’s which took up around a fifth of the building. Our focus and responsibility is now to give it an exciting future to further boost this booming part of Manchester.”

The company said it plans to keep Beehive Mill as workspaces, with units currently available ranging between 190 sq ft to 11,000 sq ft.

Nathan adds: “Urban Splash and many others see this area as a great place build houses and apartments, but we also believe it needs a working heartbeat too. We’ve recently completed the nearby Stubbs Mill; its letting to Fanatics will bring 250 new staff to Manchester and Beehive will give us the chance to offer more great workspace to the market.

“Two-thirds of the building is vacant so we will be refurbishing much of that space to make it feel more like an Urban Splash building. We are genuinely excited about what we can do with this historic venue.”

The purchase extends Urban Splash’s portfolio in the Ancoats area; the adjacent community of New Islington is a key site for the company and home to its modular family housing concept – house.

Urban Splash has also recently secured planning permission for its Mansion House apartment scheme on the site.