We Can Do the Whole Journey | Howard Lord Talks to Insider
News
Our founder, Howard Lord, recently spoke to Insider Media about the journey behind CERT Property,
We’ve agreed the purchase of the 97,000 sq ft Shena Simon Campus from The Manchester College, in collaboration with our partner, the Family Office of MyProtein & Verve Founder, Oliver Cookson.
The campus is steeped in history, with its use as an educational facility beginning at the turn of the twentieth century. It first opened as The Central Higher Grade School in 1901 and later became the Central High School in 1920. During this time, it also served as a military hospital during World War I. In 1982, the building changed to a Sixth Form College and was named after Shena Simon, a Liberal Councillor on the Manchester Education Committee, before it later became part of City College Manchester in the early 2000s, and finally The Manchester College from 2008.
Most recently, the Shena Simon Campus has provided Industry Excellence Academies for Business & Professional and Science. It will close in September 2025, with The Manchester College moving its educational services to a brand new facility for students, in a new four-storey building next door to City Campus Manchester.
Located on Chorlton Street, the Shena Simon Campus is in a thriving part of the city; next to the vibrant hospitality scene around Canal Street, a five-minute walk to Manchester Piccadilly Station, and the planned Sister science and technology innovation district, that intends to add two million sqft of workspace, leisure spaces, and nine acres of public space over the next 15 years. Our vision for the building is to bring a new hotel to this part of the city, to support the area’s ongoing growth. Discussions are underway with a leading global hotel operator, and our design team will be submitting redevelopment proposals for the campus this spring.
Our Managing Director, Howard Lord, comments: “The Shena Simon Campus builds on our dedication to restoring heritage properties, and matching them to serve their neighbourhoods with a new purpose; just as we did with Duke & Parr in Liverpool. This time we’re taking our capabilities into hospitality, with an incredible hotel brand that will compliment this beautiful old building and its surroundings.”
The Family Office of Oliver Cookson is working with us to transform the city for the third time. The high-profile entrepreneur and founder of MyProtein and Verve first looked to create a Manchester property portfolio in 2023, when the company invested in the development of Peeler’s Yard, an 81-unit residential scheme in New Cross. Since then, we’ve secured planning on a 99-unit residential development on Cross Keys Street, which gained planning consent last year.
Oliver Cookson comments: “Manchester is where I grew up — it shaped my outlook and gave me the foundations to build from. This city has always been about reinvention, and the Shena Simon Campus is the perfect place to keep that spirit alive. With CERT, we’re not just restoring a building – we’re reimagining its role in Manchester’s future. We’re turning a landmark into a destination, blending heritage with ambition. It means a lot to give something back to the city that gave me my start.”
John Thornhill, LTE Group CEO, commented: “For over a century Shena Simon has been a place of learning where people from across the city have been able to access education and gain the skills that have been so vital to Manchester’s economic success. However, it no longer offered the cutting-edge facilities required to equip learners with the skills they’ll need in 2025 to access the economic opportunities that exist in the city, which we offer at our other campuses in Manchester.”
