Coronation Street has announced plans to build a new set to give its storylines a “grittier vibe”.
The Weatherfield Precinct will include duplex apartments, shops and a plaza.
Construction work to expand the existing set in Trafford, Greater Manchester begins this week and will take six months to complete.
Production designer Rosie Mullins-Hoyle said that an “incredible amount of research” had been done, focusing on local 1960s architecture.
“We strive to create an authentic Weatherfield neighborhood with a more somber vibe to the existing street that we know and love,” she said.
“I can’t wait to meet the characters that may call it home and see the businesses that are created and the storytelling potential of an old but new part of Weatherfield.”
The announcement comes as the show, which is the longest-running soap opera in the world, is being pushed back to the 20:00 GMT timeslot and will feature hour-long episodes.
Series producer Iain MacLeod said, “The fabled Weatherfield Precinct has been much talked about in our 61 years but little seen on the show and I’m really looking forward to expanding the universe of Coronation Street.”
He added that “plans for the shopping district are drawn directly from the real-world setting of Salford, which inspired the show’s creator, Tony Warren”.
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