Local residents
Thank you to our neighbours, friends and visitors for your patience as we carry out essential work and improvements to make a world-class museum for everyone who lives in and visits Manchester.
You can find the latest information on the transformation on our We are changing and Revolution in progress pages.
Our neighbours can find further information below.
More information for local residents
From April 2024 we’ve started a new series of essential repairs to care for our historic site including:
- Essential repairs to the New Warehouse including its roof, windows, gutters and brickwork
- Waterproofing the 1830 Viaduct to prevent water ingress to the Viaduct and 1830 Station
- Improving accessibility and public realm around the 1830 Viaduct following repairs
- Essential repairs to the Gantry
- Essential repairs, improved accessibility and public realm in the Upper Yard
We anticipate these works will be complete by Summer 2025.
As part of our essential repair work to New Warehouse, it will be fully or partially covered in scaffolding until Summer 2025. We are working with contractors to keep disruption to a minimum and within normal working hours.
In addition, the Power Hall's Gantry structure will be in scaffolding from April until December 2024 as we continue to care for our historic site.
Wherever we can we will let neighbours know of particularly noisy works ahead of time via Castlefield Forum, the St John's Residents group and communication with local Councillors.
We really appreciate your patience as we repair our historic site and we'll be working within Manchester City Council guidelines around noise from building sites of 07.00–18.00 Monday to Friday.
The new technology that has been installed as part of the museum's £4.3 million decarbonisation project will not be noisy and we have appointed consultants to undertake pre- and post-project acoustic surveys to ensure this is the case.
Current planning and listed building consent applications can be accessed on the Manchester City Council website.
The required Planning and Listed Building Consent applications have sometimes been split into several separate applications due to the different Listings of the buildings and the deadlines for the Government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Approved and live applications are listed below with the application reference number. Please use the reference number to find the relevant application.
Recent approved applications
1830 Viaduct and Upper Yard
- Planning permission granted for improved accessibility and public realm across the museum's Upper Yard and 1830 Viaduct following critical repairs – 140203/FO/2024
New Warehouse
- Planning permission granted to replace our historic roof, repair water ingress and fix masonry issues with the building – 138260/FO/2023
- Listed building consent for fire protection remediating works including works to stud walls and fire doors – 137802/LO/2023Listed Building Consent for Timber Repairs and Strengthening for the Power Hall roof – 131290/LO/2021
Power Hall and decarbonisation
- Listed Building Consent for internal gallery refurbishment at the Power Hall including works to remove, replace and reinstate flooring, remove and replace internal platforms, balustrades and installation of services and associated works – 137397/LO/2023
- Planning application for reinstatement of Power Hall roof, installation of new windows and doors and stripping of external services and removal of railway doors – 131488/FO/2021
- Listed Building consent for reinstatement of Power Hall roof, new windows and doors, new internal services, fabric repairs and removal of 1980s internal platform and railway doors - 131489/LO/2021
- Listed Building Consent for Timber Repairs and Strengthening for the Power Hall roof – 131290/LO/2021
- Listed building consent for the removal of the Power Hall roof during refurbishment and repair works – 130615/LO/2021
- Planning application for Removal of the Power Hall roof during refurbishment and repair works – 130614/FO/2021
- Listed building consent for installation of a services trench within the curtilage of the Grade II Listed New Warehouse – 130173/LO/2021
- Listed building consent for alterations to the Grade I Listed 1830 Warehouse for the creation of openings and the installation of pipework plus the introduction of a services trench and borehole cover within its curtilage – 130172/LO/2021
- Planning application for External works to the Boiler Room including removal of an external staircase and making good in addition to the installation of a new balustrade and new doors – 130171/FO/2021
- Listed building consent for alterations to the Grade II Listed Power Hall for the creation of openings and the installation of plant plus the introduction of a services trench within its curtilage – 130170/LO/2021
1830 Warehouse
- Planning permission for the replacement of structural glazing and repairs to masonry, timber and metalwork – 136466/FO/2023
- Listed building consent for the replacement of structural glazing and repairs to masonry, timber and metalwork – 136467/FO/2023
- Listed building consent for reprofiling of valley gutters, repairs to roof trusses and replacement of torching to Bay 4 within the 1830 Warehouse roof – 136747/LO/2023
- Listed building consent for fire protection remediating works including works to stud walls and fire doors – 137070/LO/2023
Station Building
- Listed building consent for fire protection remediating works including works to stud walls and fire doors – 137071/LO/2023
The New Warehouse remains open with plenty to see and enjoy including our new Special Exhibitions Gallery, Revolution Manchester, Textiles and Experiment galleries, plus a changing programme of major exhibitions. As work continues to progress in New Warehouse, we'll also be delivering a special programme of engagement to celebrate live engineering happening onsite. We hope you'll join us in the museum soon.
Visit the What's on section for full listings.
We will continue to share regular updates alongside ways to engage in person, such as behind the scenes tours, information points inside the museum in the form of leaflets, displays, creative events and activities. We welcome any further suggestions and ideas.
We continue to liaise regularly with Manchester City Council to ensure that all necessary measures are provided to ensure safety for pedestrians while scaffolding and building work is taking place.
All current information will be hosted in our We are changing section and this neighbours page, so please do keep checking back.
For any questions around current planning applications please contact Eleanor Bird at efbird@deloitte.co.uk.
For any other questions please email revolution@scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk.
