Two new spaces are opening in Manchester to meet growing demand from the creative sector.

Allied London have announced the creation of ALL Studios to provide valuable studio space for the TV, film and music industries.

Chief executive Michael Ingall says Allied London’s acquisition of the former ITV studios has coincided with an unprecedented change in the TV film and music industry which has given rise to a greater demand for smaller, independent single and multi-camera studios.

“In just the last three years we have seen the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple moving towards owning, making and distributing creative film and TV content and the rapid growth of music disrupters like Spotify, changing the media consumer industry in an unprecedented way. ALL Studios has been established to seek new opportunities within this very dynamic new industry and develop these assets we have”.

Piers Read of Wimbledon Film & TV Studios, who has joined Allied London to lead ALL Studios, says the reason Old Granada Studios are being brought back to their original purpose and design is market-led.

“Demand for studio space in the UK is at an all-time high and ALL Studios must be at the forefront of this new market for Manchester. Over the past decade Manchester has done a great job putting itself on the media map. It now has a chance to become the go-to city for film, TV and music over the next five years and we are uniquely positioned to cater to the demands and needs of this growing market.”

When it acquired Old Granada Studios in 2013, Allied London pledged to retain the heritage of the estate, which included the main studios. It has already set up Low Four Studio in partnership with Salford University and has created Recording Corridor where several independent music companies and Reform Radio are operating. It is looking to create a further 20 studios over the next two years, particularly for TV and music.

At the other end of town, a new independent rehearsal workspace is to open its doors to local performing arts, television and production companies to meet growing demand.

Hope Studios will take over the first floor of Marlboro House in the Northern Quarter, the building that used home Sunshine Dance Studios, and will offer up to six studio spaces.

The studios are a collaboration between the award-winning Hope Mill Theatre, Play With Fire Productions and Aria Entertainment, who spotted a gap in the market for accessible and affordable rehearsal space for the growing number of theatre, television and dance companies visiting and relocating to Manchester. The aim is for them to become a community and networking space for the performance sector.

“There is such a need for studio space like this in the city as the rising number of creatives working in Manchester is at an all time high,” says Hope Mill Theatre artistic director Joseph Houston. “It is an extremely exciting time for the theatre industry. Artists are realising this is the place to be and we hope that Hope Studios meets a much needed requirement for quality, accessible rehearsal studios for people to create their work.”

The studios will incorporate Play With Fire’s extensive library for actors to borrow scripts for rehearsal or simply read in the comfortable communal area.

“This is a worthy and vital new project filling an important gap in the Manchester creative scene,” says Hannah Ellis from Play With Fire. “We want Hope Studios to be a thriving hub of creativity, with not just rehearsal space, but also community areas, a marketing aid, lessons, collaborations and much more.”

Industry professionals are invited to have a look around the new creative spaces on Wednesday 15th March between 1pm and 3pm.