“Now get this,” said Andy Burnham, barely able to hide his excitement as he announced that “No 10 North” would be the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain” during a speech this week.
The idea is powerful, one – an extension of the Prime Minister’s office that will oversee a radical shift in power and resources from Downing Street to all parts of the UK.
But what will this nerve centre look like? Few details of exactly where in Manchester No 10 North will be, or what it will do, have been confirmed by Burnham or his team.
In terms of location, Burnham has said only that No 10 North will be close to Manchester’s Piccadilly train station and there are reports of a deal to make use of a new government campus which is about to begin construction, but won’t be ready until at least 2028.
In the meantime, The i Paper understands Team Burnham has been recommended space within Heron House, a 1980s office building in the city centre.
Government officials have told Burnham Heron House is the most obvious choice to base No 10 North as it already has high-level security arrangements in place and additional capacity.
The security benefits are perhaps explained by the building’s current main tenants. A £13.5m refurbishment was completed in 2019 and owners Manchester City Council managed to secure GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence and security agency, to take on offices there.
Now the spooks may find themselves sharing kitchen conversation with none other than the prime ,inister, who is expected to work one day a week from Manchester.
It is understood there are ‘no immediate plans’ for GCHQ to vacate Heron House (Photo: The i Paper)The seven-storey building would afford Burnham stunning views of Manchester Town Hall, the neo-Gothic masterpiece which is currently undergoing a refurbishment set to cost more than £500m.
He would also find himself on the doorstep of Heron House’s subtenants including a branch of the Slug and Lettuce franchise and a Greggs bakery.
When The i Paper visited on Friday lunchtime, the S&L was doing a steady trade thanks to a mixture of office workers on their lunchbreak and tourists in town for acts such as indie band The K’s who were playing that night.
Burnham could also take advantage of their lunchtime meal deal – a steak sandwich and a pint of Amstel costs just £10. If it’s a liquid only lunch he’s looking for, the most expensive pint on the menu is Beavertown Neck Oil costing just £4.10.
The building also serves as the council’s registry office so Burnham may also find himself bumping into the occasional wedding party.
It is understood there are “no immediate plans” for GCHQ to vacate Heron House.
In the longer term, The i Paper understands the intention is that Burnham’s team want No 10 North to be part of a government campus that has already been approved for construction on the site of a former retail park in Ancoats on the edge of Manchester city centre.
Building site of former Central Retail Park in Ancoats, Manchester, where Manchester Digital Campus is expected to open by 2032 (Photo: The i Paper)The Government Property Agency (GPA), an arms-length subsidiary of the Cabinet Office, exchanged contracts with Manchester City Council in 2024 and the Treasury approved the £310m construction budget earlier this year.
The Government says Manchester Digital Campus will serve as a “cutting-edge” location for around 8,800 civil servants.
The former retail park, which used to host shops such as Toys R Us, Mothercare and JD Sports, has remained an eyesore for years after the council purchased the site for £37m.
Plans to use the 10.5-acre site for a temporary car park to recoup some of the council’s investment upset local residents in Ancoats, the suburb which was one of Manchester’s worst slums during the Industrial Revolution but has now been regenerated into a hipster neighbourhood where flats can sell for more than £500,000.
Pressure from the Trees Not Cars campaign resulted in the car park plans being scrapped and the council has pledged to include significant green space in the new government campus.
But in the meantime, the area remains a building site, with only a few workers and cranes in operations when The i Paper visited.
The Government said it does not expect Manchester Digital Campus to be fully open until 2032.
A source from Burnham’s circle said they believe wherever No 10 North is located, it is unlikely he will want it to attract too much attention or cost the taxpayer too much money.
“I would imagine wherever it is, it will have to be built and exist already,” they said.
“I also wonder if it will evolve over time. Andy has access to a car which is an awful Volkswagen Passat that’s about 15 years old.
“He doesn’t want to be seen spending loads of money on himself or on his administration, so I wonder if it [No 10 North] will be an equally unimpressive space.
“As if the message is – ‘it’s the people inside the building that are impressive, not the look of it’.”
The GPA did not respond to a request contacted for comment.
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