It’s not known what will replace it just yet
18:50, 28 Aug 2025Updated 18:51, 28 Aug 2025
Retro Bar in Manchester will be demolished this summer – but its future as a venue must be carried on(Image: Retro Bar)
A city centre car park responsible for shaping Manchester’s music scene for decades could be demolished in 20 weeks.
The Charles Street multi-storey car park building hosted commercial units for years, including Retro Bar.
For 35 years it gave a stage to many young bands trying to make it in Manchester’s music scene, such as The Chemical Brothers and Everything Everything.
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Retro closed down earlier this year, and is looking to open at a new site in 2026, managers said last month: “In recent months we have been very proactive in exploring options where we could relocate. This has involved viewing various spaces and undertaking discussions with agents and landlords.
“We have identified a couple of sites that have potential to grow back into thriving grassroots live music venues. These options require time to be prepared, further discussions with landlords and support from local authorities.”
Retro Bar owner Mark Armor (left) with musician Frank Turner (right)(Image: Retro Bar)
Once UMIST’s main car park, and later used as a travel hub for the University of Manchester’s north campus, the car park is earmarked for demolition for a multi-billion-pound regeneration project called Sister, which will bring in 10,000 jobs, new businesses, and more than 1,500 new homes between Oxford Road and Piccadilly railway station.
A spokesperson for Sister said: “We can confirm that a planning application has been submitted to Manchester City Council seeking permission to demolish the Charles Street car park and associated vacant commercial units. The demolition works will allow us to prepare the site for future development as part of the transformation of Sister into a world-class destination for research, collaboration and enterprise in the heart of Manchester.
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“While a series of technical assessments have already been carried out to consider potential impacts of the demolition on local residents and businesses – including noise, air quality and traffic – if the application is approved, a more detailed Demolition Management Plan will be implemented and distributed locally to ensure these works are carefully managed and any disruption is minimised.”
The spokesperson added ‘the application does not include any proposals for new buildings at this stage’.
However, a development blueprint for the area said the 1.2-acre site could become ‘bespoke forms of residential accommodation and purpose-built student accommodation, according to Place North West.
You can see and comment on the demolition application on the council’s website here.