"In 1896 the financier Ernest Terah Hooley bought 1,183 acres beside the new Manchester Ship Canal and began laying out the first planned industrial estate in the world. Trafford Park grew because ships could reach it, and it now holds about 1,400 companies employing 40,000 people. The constraint the Prime Minister has named since September is not water or roads but electricity. For anyone taking warehouse space in Greater Manchester, that changes what to ask before signing.
What Burnham has promised since 1 September
Andy Burnham, Prime Minister since 20 July, used his first Commons statement on 1 September to call for ""a more intentional approach to the reindustrialisation of Britain"". He was blunt about power: ""It is taking far too long for businesses to get grid connections. And they are being quoted prohibitively expensive sums.""
On 29 September he told the Labour conference he would set up Great British Grid, a publicly owned body inside Great British Energy meant to ""speed up grid connections for businesses"" and bring energy costs in line with Europe's within ten years. It will work alongside the existing network companies, and its long-term funding is left to a future spending review. Number 10 North, the Prime Minister's devolution unit, already sits in Manchester. None of this has yet changed what a new connection costs or how long it takes.
Why a warehouse lease is now partly a power question
Logistics UK has warned that the price and lead time of grid connections can stop operators investing in electric vans and depot charging. Automation, refrigeration and battery storage draw on the same supply. So ask about the electricity before the rent: the site's supply capacity, whether the unit has three-phase power, and whether anyone has approached the network operator about an upgrade. A unit that already has the capacity you need can be worth more than a cheaper one with a queue behind it. If your needs are modest, such as storage, a trade counter or light assembly, the grid debate barely touches you.
Where the reindustrialisation map points in Greater Manchester
Burnham says his national approach learns from Greater Manchester, and the clearest guide is the cluster map he published as mayor in January. Advanced materials and manufacturing, around 500 businesses employing 15,000 people, is placed in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale and in Atom Valley, a Mayoral Development Zone with 17 million sq ft of planned employment space across Northern Gateway, Stakehill and Kingsway Business Park. Low-carbon industry is anchored at Carrington in Trafford, where a £300 million liquid air energy storage plant is planned. For a supplier or fabricator, being near those sites may matter more than being near the city centre.
Plenty of space, not much of it new
The North West industrial market ended 2025 with 13 million sq ft available, according to Knight Frank, and nearly 60% of it was lower-quality second-hand space. Only 766,507 sq ft was being built speculatively, across seven units, 72% less than a year earlier. Vacancy stood at 8.4%. The headline rent for the best Manchester space was £11.50 per sq ft a year, unchanged for five quarters.
For a tenant, that points two ways. There is choice among older units, and landlords with space that has sat empty have reason to negotiate. But an older building's electrical supply was sized for whoever it was built for, so the questions above matter most where most of the availability is.
Who should move now and who should wait
If you store, sell or assemble goods with ordinary power needs, the market is on your side and nothing announced this autumn is a reason to wait. If you are planning an electric fleet, cold storage or heavy automation, don't assume grid reform will arrive in time; get capacity confirmed in writing first. A business that needs a large new connection quickly will find Greater Manchester hard going. The listings below show what is available now.
FAQ
What has Andy Burnham announced about grid connections?
On 1 September 2026 he told the Commons it was ""taking far too long for businesses to get grid connections"". On 29 September he announced Great British Grid, a publicly owned body within Great British Energy intended to speed up connections for businesses. No timetable has been set.
Is Andy Burnham still Mayor of Greater Manchester?
No. He left the post in June 2026 after winning the Makerfield by-election, and became Prime Minister on 20 July 2026. Bev Craig has been Mayor of Greater Manchester since 3 August 2026.
How much does warehouse space cost in Manchester?
Knight Frank put the headline rent for the best industrial space in Manchester at £11.50 per sq ft a year at the end of 2025, unchanged for five quarters.
Where are Greater Manchester's manufacturing growth areas?
The city region's cluster map, published in January 2026, places advanced materials and manufacturing in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Atom Valley, and low-carbon industry at Carrington in Trafford.
Can I rent a small warehouse unit in Manchester?
Yes. Units listed on 4wallsspaces start at 123 sq ft at Empress Business Centre in Stretford and 770 sq ft at Astra Business Park in Trafford Park, both let by BizSpace."
