Manchester's historic rivalry with Salford over the BBC’s relocation has reared its head once more in the fight to become Channel 4’s new home.

Greater Manchester is putting in a single bid to the broadcaster this weekend.

But while Salford had originally hoped to make MediaCity the sole focus of the document, it is understood Manchester ’s competing aspirations have now seen a series of sites on both sides of the Irwell put forward instead.

They include MediaCity itself, Middlewood Locks and Greengate on the Salford border with the city centre, and St John’s in Manchester.

Towns and cities across the country were invited to put themselves forward as a new location for Channel 4 after government made clear the broadcaster had to open a new base outside of London.

However Greater Manchester, unlike the West Midlands, had gone notably quiet on the idea over the past year.

It is understood much of that is down to the fact Manchester and Salford each had their own ideas for where it should go, in echoes of the bitter fight more than a decade ago over which should host the northern headquarters of the BBC.

Although Salford ultimately won that battle in 2006, Manchester council’s former chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein still maintained when he stepped down last year that the city centre would have been a better location.

Twelve years on, it seems Manchester continues to harbour similar ambitions - but this time has its eye on Channel 4 moving to the former Granada Studios site on Quay Street.

Salford chiefs had also been hoping to tempt the broadcaster to MediaCity, however, and had launched a joint research paper a few months ago outlining specifically why its site was Channel 4’s best bet.

The paper, written by the think-tank Respublica, argued it was essential for Salford’s economy that it developed its own brand distinct from Manchester - with an expanded MediaCity at the heart of that strategy.

Amid internal tensions over the issue a Greater Manchester submission incorporating the proposals of both cities has now been settled upon.

One insider close to the bid it was effectively a compromise.

“The idea is that MediaCity is being placed at the centre of the bid but not necessarily as the sole location,” they said.

“You want to be close to MediaCity but that doesn’t preclude that you might also want to close to St John’s.

“And there are multiple other sites on either side of the border that are up for grabs.”

Birmingham is still widely seen as the frontrunner for the Channel 4 move, although it is thought bosses may end up going for more than one location.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street has run a vocal campaign calling for the broadcaster to choose Brum - but Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham, who had initially called on the culture secretary to choose MediaCity in a letter during his election campaign last March, has been almost silent on the issue recent months.

The mayor has chosen to diplomatically tread the line between the two cities by saying little about it, suggested the source.

“Clearly there’s a compromise internally in Greater Manchester as to where it should go,” they added.

“Andy Burnham hasn’t waded in yet for reasons we may speculate about.”

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