Developers have revealed plans to create a vibrant four-storey events space, including a food and drink market, theatre, and gig venue inside Manchester's forgotten train station, Mayfield Depot.

New plans submitted today by developers U + I reveal stunning images of the temporary transformation, which is the first stage of a wider £850m project.

If plans go ahead the company will start work on the Baring Street end of the huge city centre site to create an exciting cultural corner of Manchester that will act as a three-year 'pop up' to kick off the site's regeneration.

The scheme will breathe new life into the area, forming the foundations of a ten-year project to provide 1,300 homes, 850,000 sq ft of office space, a 350-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities on the site.

The ground floor will be home to a covered street food market, which will be lined with 20ft shipping containers. These temporary frames will allow for organic growth of the market, and will be modelled on trendy urban hangouts like Croydon's Boxpark or Pop Brixton in London.

(Image: Camille Mack)

The covered market will be constructed with an eclectic decor, inspired by DIY dive bars such as the Szimpla Ruin Bar in Budapest, Hungary and slick Scandinavian schemes. Inside will be a number of food traders, but it's unclear whether U + I will use local or London-based traders at this point.

(Image: Camille Mack)

Adjacent to the shipping containers will be a large amphitheatre-style seating area, which reaches up to the fourth floor. The public area will look out over a flexible performance space, which developers say could be used for theatre, screenings, and live music.

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

With an emphasis on engaging the surrounding community, the joining area will be turned into a hidden garden with raised planters, seating and decking, which will allow visitors to 'immerse themselves in an oasis of relative calm'. According to the plans, the designers have taken inspiration from grass-roots projects such as the Dalston Curve Community Garden in Brixton.

Studio Egret West outline a low-fi finish to the structure, inspired by street markets, festivals and community projects across Europe; scaffold and corrugated iron will feature heavily.

On top of the shipping containers, a first floor events space and terrace will be accessible to the public. Above this is a second floor office space, while a fourth floor office unit will be reserved for the developers U + I.

The former railway station, which has been derelict for decades, has seen several redevelopment proposals come and go. An ambitious proposal was put forward in 2014 to turn the building into an arts centre and new home for The Warehouse Project , but the plans were quickly abandoned after complaints from local residents.

The proposal was inspired by a gig during Manchester International Festival in 2013, where Massive Attack collaborated with journalist and film maker Adam Curtis . It was one of the few times the public had been allowed in to the historic building in recent years.

Speaking about the project last year Matthew Weiner, chief executive of U+I, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have been selected and look forward to working with the Mayfield Partnership to deliver an iconic, generational project.”

David Joy, chief executive of LCR, added: “U+I has a proven track record of delivering innovative and distinctive developments, such as PaddingtonCentral, The Old Vinyl Factory and The Deptford Project.

(Image: Joby Catto / Anti Limited)

“They will lead on masterplanning the Mayfield site as well as high quality place-making, through to delivery of the necessary infrastructure and the development itself.

“We look forward to working with U+I to ensure the success of this scheme which is set to create lasting long-term benefits for not only the local area, but the city of Manchester as a whole.”