[Scarlett.]

CONFIDENTIAL has learned that the city centre set of Coronation Street may be listed. If successful it may mean the set could avoid the worst of all possible outcomes, demolition.

English Heritage has told us: 'We have received an application to consider the Coronation Street set for listing, and we are in the process of providing an assessment. An English Heritage advisor has visited the set.

'Following a consultation period where relevant parties can provide feedback and comment, we will then provide a full report and recommendation as to whether it should be listed. This recommendation will then go to the DCMS (Department for Culture Media and Sport) and they will make a decision based on the advice we provide.'

Coronation Street has been filmed at the city centre Granada site since December 1960. Originally it was staged internally. The present and very famous external set dates from 1982. The listing referred to, if successful, will concern the special historic interest of the site.

Historic interest?

Exactly.

Remember even if Corrie is not your cup of tea, or your pint of mild, it has been in the hearts and minds of millions of fans around the UK and across the world for more than five decades. For Brits it’s part of growing up and growing old, either something to watch yourself or as part of the cultural background noise.

Listed building status has been sought because ITV are moving and rebuilding the set opposite MediaCityUK in Trafford three miles away. Publicity manager for the show, Stuart King, has told Confidential 'there are no plans to open the new set to the public'.

Meanwhile the city centre ITV/Granada site, including the Corrie set, is judged as a 'surplus property asset' to be disposed of as a 'mixed use development'.

As such ITV have said 'no decision has been made on the future of the current set. All options are open'.

ITV made no comment when Confidential pushed them on whether it would consider retention of the set as a tourist attraction in the centre of the city. They repeated ad infinitum that 'no decision has been reached'. Given the prime location of the property there's clearly potential for the world famous Coronation Street set to be demolished should it not fit in with the plans of a future developer.

Official disinterest

So who asked for the set to be listed by English heritage? English Heritage aren't letting on who made the application. It wasn't ITV and it wasn't the city council or the tourist agencies for the region - Marketing Manchester and Visit Manchester.

Surprising really.

Given the massive fame of the site you might have thought that our tourist champions would be straining every nerve to retain this prime tourism real estate.

That's not the case. Andrew Stokes, chief executive of Marketing Manchester, said: “We recognise the importance of Coronation Street in terms of attracting visitors to the city. The show has a large fanbase in the UK and further afield, with large audiences in Canada and New Zealand. With this in mind, Visit Manchester is in talks with ITV about how to maximise the Coronation Street brand.”

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