New 23,500 capacity arena will become the UK's largest indoor venue

A new 23,500 capacity arena - set to become the UK's largest indoor venue - has been given the go-ahead by Manchester City Council.

Located next to Manchester City FC's Etihad Stadium in East Manchester, the £350m Co-op Live arena will surpass London's O2 Arena (20,000) and the nearby Manchester Arena (21,000) in terms of capacity, and is expected to complete in 2023.

The plans have been put forward by Los Angeles-based firm the Oak View Group (OVG), which has developed arenas in New York, Seattle and Austin. The company also runs the Arena and Stadium Alliance of 29 arenas and eight stadiums in North America.

Introducing Co-op Live, the UK’s first purpose driven arena, working in a sustainable and socially responsible way. 🎤 #ItsWhatWeDo

— Co-op (@coopuk) September 26, 2020

OVG chief executive Tim Leiweke said the project will deliver "thousands of jobs" and "one of the world's best arenas".

"I want to say a huge thank you to the community for taking the time to listen to what we had to say and providing feedback that ensured this arena is of Manchester, for Manchester and by Manchester," he said.

The owners of the Manchester Arena, ASM Global, submitted a formal objection to the plans earlier this year, claiming that the city can not support a second large arena. ASM say OVG's proposals are based on "flawed research" and "impossible market projections".

However, Manchester City Council approved plans for the new arena on Thursday 24th September. Construction is expected to begin in November.