Manchester’s Co-op Live mega-venue delays opening for second time in a week

Manchester’s huge new Co-Op Live venue, the biggest arena in the UK, has pushed back its public launch for the second time in a week due to build delays and safety concerns.

The £350mn arena backed by Denver-based Oak View Group had been due to officially open its doors on Tuesday this week, with a two-date appearance from comedian Peter Kay.

This was postponed on the eve of the event to next Monday, after local regulators raised concerns about delays to the build, particularly in relation to the arena’s electrical systems.

The launch gig has now been delayed a second time to May 23, Co-Op Live said on Friday. 

The further delay would provide “extra time we need to continue testing enhanced emergency communications and measures thoroughly”, a spokesman said. 

Local regulators had raised particular concerns that delays to the completion of electrical systems could affect the ability of emergency services to communicate in the event of an incident.

Such concerns have particular resonance in the city, where an inquiry into the 2017 bombing of Manchester Arena flagged failures in blue light communications.

The 23,500-capacity arena is now the largest of its kind in the country and is OVG’s first project outside of the US. 

However, its launch has been mired in chaos since last weekend. 

An initial test event had to be significantly scaled back at just two hours’ notice on Saturday due to concerns that the venue could not safely open at the scale originally planned. 

A second test event due to take place tomorrow, featuring the band Black Keys, has now also been postponed, despite the venue issuing a statement on Monday of this week confirming it would still go ahead. 

In a joint public statement, Manchester council, Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said they supported the decision.

“We have discussed with the Co-op Live venue this week the actions that they needed to take ahead of their planned public opening and while a considerable amount of work has taken place, and learning taken from last week’s test event, we all agree that there is more to complete before the venue can welcome audiences safely,” it said.    

The further delay comes as Gary Roden, Co-Op Live’s general manager, stepped down after remarking that some grassroots music venues were poorly run. 

Jessica Koravos, president of OVG International, said that “neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed” by Roden.