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UK-based Ask Development has secured approval from the Manchester city Council for the £19 million ($29.9 million) Manchester arts centre in Manchester, which has been designed by Netherlands-based architectural practice Mecanoo.

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Sprawling over 20-acres site, the cultural centre in Manchester forms an integral part of the £80 million ($125.6 million) redevelopment programme in the First Street area of the city, which is being developed by a partnership between the city council and Ask.

Spanning 60,000 square feet, the new cultural centre will incorporate two theatres with seating capacities of 500 and 150 respectively, five cinema screens, together with 500 square metre gallery space and restaurants, a café and a foyer, studio and teaching spaces and a plaza for outdoor performances.

The arts centre will have a unique, colourful and vibrant design, which will transform the First Street into a vibrant cultural hub.

Ask plans to begin enabling work on the site by the end of 2012. The scheme is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2014.