Project management, design and construction company Bovis Lend Lease UK has signed a £351 mln (EUR 503 mln) contract to develop a landmark 15-hectare site at the heart of Media City in Salford, UK.

Project management, design and construction company Bovis Lend Lease UK has signed a £351 mln (EUR 503 mln) contract to develop a landmark 15-hectare site at the heart of Media City in Salford, UK.

Bovis will be the management contractor for the scheme, which is sited along the Manchester Ship Canal. Media City will be home to numerous broadcasting and media-related companies, including the BBC, which is the anchor tenant and has signed a lease agreement for three buildings following several months of negotiations. The project is being developed by Peel Holdings, in conjunction with local development agencies and the Salford City Council. Bovis said the latest management contracting mandate represents the twenty-fifth Bovis has received from Peel since the successful completion of Trafford Centre in 1998.

While the first phase of the Media Centre development will involve 15 hectares, the full development is expected to cover up to 81 hectares. The mixed-use development will include a variety of building uses and types, including commercial, retail, performing studios, hotels and production offices as well as a grand piazza twice the size of London's Trafalgar Square.