AtkinsRéalis-designed Manchester Digital Campus to house No 10 North

The Manchester Digital Campus (MDC), designed by infrastructure company AtkinsRéalis, is set to become the future home of No 10 North, the northern outpost of 10 Downing Street. Located on brownfield land in Ancoats, once the heart of Manchester's cotton mill district, the campus will accommodate approximately 8,800 civil servants across two buildings totaling about 84,000 square metres of workspace. Groundworks have started, with main build completion expected in 2028 and full completion by 2032. The project is part of British prime minister Andy Burnham's plans to decentralize government power from Westminster. MDC was originally conceived to support the government's digital and data strategy. The senior responsible owner, Philippa Harvey, emphasized the building's transformative potential for government operations. Meanwhile, Burnham's team has temporarily moved into Heron House, an office building in central Manchester currently housing Government Communications Headquarters. Burnham stated that No 10 North is "not a gimmick," arguing it balances power between the North and South of England.