Coronation Street cast reveal new Weatherfield Precinct set to appear on screens next year

Coronation Street has unveiled its latest edition to the soap’s ever growing fictional universe - the Weatherfield Precinct.

The precinct has been visited by the residents of Coronation Street for decades, but this will be its first on-screen appearance.

Cast including Jack P Shepherd, Sally Dynevor, Antony Cotton, Jimmi Harkishin, Daniel Brocklebank, Channique Sterling-Brown, Elle Mulvaney, Tanisha Gorey, James Craven and Colson Smith officially declared Weatherfield Precinct open for business.

The first scene will be filmed at the beginning of December, nine months since building work started on the new exterior set.

The new precinct has maisonettes, a piazza and an array of accessible local shops and units. Credit: ITV Coronation Street

The two-storey construction features maisonettes, a staircase and balcony leading to the properties, a piazza and an array of accessible local shops and units.

It extends the set, which is based on the programme’s 7.7 acre site in Trafford near Manchester.

A children’s park and play area with swings and a roundabout adds extra scope for filmingaway from the cobbles.

Facts on the Precinct

  • It took nine months to build while filming continued.

  • Many elements of the build like the shop fronts, windows and doors had to be designedto limit reflections and to make the precinct filming friendly.

  • Some of the doorways have displays dressed inside the doorways giving the illusion of depth, like Victoria Street.

  • It was built using the steel work at the back of Victoria Street.

  • There is a practical balcony that can also be used for filming.

  • The staircase is from the original 'Underworld' set and was reclad in brick slips.

  • The set includes a community recycling area to promote recycling onscreen and this was painted using leftover tins of paint from previous sets.

  • All of the foods in the bakery window are props that have been made to prevent food waste.

The precinct has often cropped up in the soap’s dialogue with characters heading off to the parade of shops. Credit: ITV Coronation Street

As part of the wider Weatherfield community, the precinct has often cropped up in thesoap’s dialogue with characters heading off to the parade of shops.

The writers have said the new set will make the most of the show’s broadening horizons, creating opportunities to explore storylines beyond the cobbles of Coronation Street.

Designed and developed by the Coronation Street Design and Construction teams the newset has been cleverly aged and weathered to look like it has been there for decades.

This has been achieved through a range of shops chosen to accurately represent the many similar 1960’s built shopping precincts in towns and cities across the UK.

This includes a charity shop which will be one of the first sets to provide a new workplace for residents when Roy Cropper and Evelyn Plumber volunteer their services.

The new precinct is two stories high and has maisonettes as well as shops. Credit: ITV Coronation Street

Producer Iain MacLeod said: “Hats off to our design and construction teams who have conjured a totally convincing new precinct for our drama!

"They took their inspiration from Salford’s many real-world, late 20th century shopping areas and what they have created is a brilliant, characterful space to tell a diverse range of stories.

"Expect to see teens hanging out at the dessert shop, families enjoying the play area and, after dark, a rogues’ gallery, up to shady business in the ginnels.

"I am really excited by the arrival on screen of this much discussed but never seen corner of the Weatherfield universe.”

Head of Design Rosie Mullins said: “The most incredible part of this has been watching this build rise from a small car park with a mass of ugly steel, concrete and timber to the beautifully constructed, characterful 1960s two-storey precinct that we see today.

She continued: “This build has been one of the most enjoyable builds that we have undertaken and showcases the many behind the scenes talents that the programme has to offer. I am incredibly proud of the detail, the quality of the build and for what it offers for future storytelling for the show.

"I am also so very proud of how it was brought to life by our in- house talented Design Team.

The precinct will make its first on-screen appearance on 13 January 2023.

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