The site of Manchester’s scrapped supercasino could become home to a major leisure and entertainment centre. Manchester council is planning to set up a new company with Manchester City to secure the development of the land, next to the Etihad Stadium. The company is one of two being set up with the Blues as they remain at the heart of plans to sell east Manchester as an international destination. One will focus on the transformation of the Etihad Campus – the area around the stadium which is to include the new training ground and community facilities. The second will concentrate on redeveloping the site where the supercasino would have been built, according to papers going before the council’s executive this week. If approved, the businesses will be set up by the council in partnership with City and its land-holding arm, Brookshaw Developments Limited. The business would acquire the land from the council at market value. Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein, and Eddie Smith, from regeneration group New East Manchester, will sit on the company boards as directors. Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: "These proposals formalise the principles which were agreed between Manchester City Football Club, Manchester City Council and New East Manchester some time ago and demonstrate the ongoing commitment by us all to the regeneration of East Manchester. "They allow us to continue to explore all opportunities to bring forward commercially-viable proposals to extend the destination role of the area, creating jobs and opportunities for the people of East Manchester. They also allow us to bring forward a delivery structure to enable us to develop those opportunities when their viability has been determined."
