THE building work at MediaCityUK reached a high point this week.
A traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony was held to mark the completion of the highest point of the development at Salford Quays.
The ceremony, held on Wednesday, July 8, heralds the peak of the first phase of the UK’s biggest private sector construction site.
The ceremony took place on the 19th floor of the South Tower of the MediaCityUK Studio Block, which at more than 300 ft tall is the development’s highest point.
The news came alongside an announcement that The University of Salford, which will have a base at the site, has secured funding for research.
Funding from a combination of three government Research Councils, will support the Framework for Innovation and Research in MediaCityUK (FIRM). The core partners in FIRM are, the BBC, the University of Cambridge, Goldsmiths University of London, Lancaster University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northwest Vision and Media and The University of Salford.
MediaCityUK, the second largest construction project in the UK after the Olympics, will include around 2,500 BBC staff from the five BBC national departments moving from London, as well as the BBC’s Manchester-based operations. As MediaCityUK develops, projections have shown that it has the potential to employ around 15,000 people in a range of companies across the media, creative and digital sectors, making a £200m contribution to the regional economy.
The University of Salford’s Professor Peter Barrett is leading the FIRM project.
He said: "Central to these developments is the creation of a strong open innovation ecosystem. This funding is the first step in a programme of activities that will complement the physical development of MediaCityUK with an enhanced intellectual infrastructure. I am delighted and excited that we have now passed go."
In its first year, FIRM will deliver a vision for research and innovation in MediaCityUK and identify the requirements both for the space and the technology which are required in order to be at the heart of international media research.
Felicity Goodey, chair of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, said: "When we devised the vision for a globally significant mediacity it was clear from research that the collaboration of a wide range of academic and other research- oriented organisations would be crucial to its success. FIRM is one of the most important developments to date in the creation of MediaCityUK."
Londoner Sinead Greenaway is to take up the post of chief executive at just 38 years old.
She will fill the post vacated by Brian Greasley last November after only 12 months in the job.
Ms Greenaway joins from Virgin Media Television and steps into a role which includes attracting further tenants to the site, which will be home to 2,500 BBC staff and a new campus for The University of Salford.
The initial phase of the scheme covers 36 acres but Peel Media - a division of Trafford Centre owner John Whittaker’s £7bn Peel Group - has 200 acres of development land at Salford Quays in total. Ms Greenaway, operations and IT director at Virgin Media Television since 2006, officially takes up the post in the autumn but is already working alongside Peel Media.
She said: "MediaCityUK is a hugely exciting proposition and the prospect of playing such a central role in its delivery was too good an opportunity to miss. I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the team to provide a truly world class media community which will provide the sector with new and innovative ways of working."
Having started her career in commercial radio, Ms Greenaway has previously held senior roles at Emap and ids (the Virgin Media Television, UKTV and online sales business).
Ms Greenaway will report to Bryan Gray, chairman of Peel Media, who said: "Sinead will work closely with a wide range of private and public sector partners to help realise our shared vision for MediaCityUK, both for phase one in 2011, and beyond.
"Her wide-ranging experience means Sinead will contribute valuable insight and leadership to the organisation, and help shape the future of what is arguably Europe’s most significant media development."
