Wimbledon Studios founder Piers Read has been appointed as director for enterprise at St John’s, the residential and business quarter being developed on the old Granada Television studios site in Manchester.

A former line producer and managing director of Birmingham’s Custard Factory, Read will be tasked with “curating a commercial enterprise city” within St. John’s.

He said: “We already house a diverse community of technology, digital and creative industries and we now plan to grow this cluster at every level to create a complete business ecosystem.” Allied London, in conjunction with Manchester City Council, is developing St John’s.