The Dirt Factory pop-up opens at Mayfield in February

2000 tonnes of reclaimed soil will be trucked into Mayfield to create Manchester city centre's new indoor bike park.

Opening in February, the Dirt Factory Pop-Up is currently under construction in the 25,000 sq ft disused former railway warehouse in Piccadilly.

The brainchild of five passionate cyclists, a crowdfund page set up in 2016 raised over £430,000 for the project, which aimed to 'bring high quality bike trails to the heart of Manchester'.

Featuring a range of bike trials and features designed for riders of all ages and abilities, the Dirt Factory Pop-Up will run for two years while the wider 24-acre Mayfield site undergoes a major transformation, becoming a 'world-class urban quarter' of 1300 homes, 75,000 sq ft of office space, a new park and a 350-bed hotel.

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Mayfield's James Heather (left) with Dan Makin of Dirt Factory

Mayfield's development director James Heather said: “We are really pleased and excited to be supporting the launch of Dirt Factory, it’s a fantastic initiative and one that fits perfectly with our own values in terms of community and well-being."

Dirt Factory's managing director Dan Makin said: “We can’t wait to open at Mayfield. The Dirt Factory Pop-Up is an amazing opportunity to bring our dream alive and as a start-up it’s great to have such amazing support from the Mayfield Partnership...As well as the opportunity to ride a range of indoor bike trails and features, the Dirt Factory Pop-Up will offer bike hire including e-bikes and a host of exciting events."

Mayfield Depot
Mayfield was left derelict in 1986.

The launch of the bike park follows news that the north's largest LGBT+ celebration, Manchester Pride, is making a move to Mayfield in 2019.

Find out more about the Dirt Factory project on their Facebook page.