The Portico Welcomes Mayor Andy Burnham as Historic Expansion Plans Move Forward

Support the Portico Reunited project

The Portico Library’s Reunited capital project is a £11 million transformation that began in Jan 2024. The project’s goal is for the Portico to become one of the UK’s most accessible, sustainable and dynamic historic libraries. The Portico’s visionary plan is to reunite, renovate and reimagine all parts of our building. They will bring all three floors back into the use of the Library and: A step-free entrance and lift, making the Portico acces…

The Portico welcomes Mayor Andy Burnham as historic expansion plans move forward

At the end of 2025, The Portico shared major news that its hopes of a historic three-floor expansion of the building had moved a step forward as Manchester City Council granted planning permission for the ambitious project. Developed through Portico Reunited — the Library’s capital and creative transformation project — the proposed plans seek to open all floors of the Grade II* building for the first time in more than a century, restoring its Mo…