Manchester's Cornerhouse bar and cinema could come down under plans for a massive mixed used development next to Oxford Road station.

A huge 500,000sq ft site on the corner of Whitworth Street West is being marketed to developers for flats, offices, shops, leisure and a hotel.

DTZ have been appointed to advise the council and Network Rail on the move.

The site is one of the last pieces of the jigsaw in moves to regenerate that part of the city centre.

Council bosses are already developing the First Street plot down the road – including a replacement for the Cornerhouse in the new HOME arts centre – while work on a new block of apartments next door on Whitworth Street West has already begun.

Council chiefs say the plot – opposite the Palace hotel – is a key strategic location that could become a new destination.

It sits at the head of the ‘Manchester Corridor’ – the council’s vision for a huge boom in science, technology and research.

But it is understood regeneration chiefs are keeping an open mind over the kind of commercial development brought forward.

Despite several existing nearby hotels – including one coming up at First Street – they also believe there is enough demand for a new one near to the Oxford Road corridor and the village.

The move would also create a better gateway to the city from Oxford Road station, the second busiest in the city.

It would be carried out in tandem with station improvements, including a huge upgrade expected as part of the Ordsall Chord train line.

Ken Bishop, senior director at DTZ, is in charge of the project. He said: “We are seeking a development partner with a proven track record in city centre regeneration, preferably with experience in development adjacent to an operational railway line.

“This opportunity has great potential to make a significant intervention and contribution to the regeneration of this part of the regional centre.”

The Cornerhouse is one of several buildings likely to come down in the move, although no final decision has been taken.

Plans to relocate the facility, which has a bar, cinema, gallery and restaurant were first revealed back in 2010. It is due to move in around a year’s time.