This is the first look at how the site of the former Showcase cinema in Belle Vue will be transformed into a new secondary school.
The Co-Op Academy Belle Vue, which will be a free school for 1,200 pupils, is expected to welcome its first set of Year 7 students this September.
Temporary accommodation will be provided at the nearby Connell Co-op College until the new school building opens in 2023.
A formal planning application to redevelop the 13-acre site on Hyde Road has now been lodged with Manchester council.
Documents show a modern L-shaped building split into three ‘zones’, starting with a two-storey sports block which will boast a sports hall, auditorium, and a drama studio.
The central three-storey building includes the school’s reception, a community hub with a library on the floor above, and a dining hall.
An adjoining sports hall also has a separate entrance for out of hours use by the wider Belle Vue community alongside a 140-space car park.
To the rear of the proposed building, which is currently a car park, two large playing fields will be provided along with a multi-use games area (MUGA) and training grids.
The MUGA would have three courts to accommodate tennis and basketball courts, a five-a-side football pitch, and practice areas for netball and hockey.
The school will be run by the Co-Op Academies Trust, which manages 26 other schools in the north of England, and expected to meet demand for secondary school places in east Manchester.
A statement submitted with the planning application says: “The Trust has an established reputation for providing a high standard of education at its existing schools and colleges and will transfer their vision and experience to the success of the new Belle Vue Academy.
“Whilst the academy’s primary function is to provide education and learning to 11-16 year olds, it is also intended that the premises will provide functions and facilities which can be used by the wider community throughout the week.”
The school will accept 120 Year 7 pupils at Connell Co-op College this year and, once fully built, it will be able to take on 240 Year 7 students every year until it reaches full capacity in 2026.
Showcase, which had occupied the site of the famous Belle Vue entertainment complex since 1989, agreed to sell the land to Manchester council last year.
The town hall had originally planned to build a 1,200-place high school at Nutsford Vale in Gorton but the controversial proposals were met with fierce local opposition.
