Coronation Street: ITV soap unveils plans for new set

Work is due to start this week on the construction of Weatherfield Precinct

Coronation Street has announced plans to build a new set to provide a "grittier vibe" for its storylines.

The Weatherfield Precinct will feature masionette flats, shops and a piazza.

Building work will begin this week to expand the existing set in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and will take six months to complete.

Production designer Rosie Mullins-Hoyle said an "incredible amount of research" had been carried out, focusing on 1960s local architecture.

"We are striving to create an authentic area of Weatherfield with a grittier vibe to the existing street that we know and love," she said.

"I cannot wait to meet the characters that may call it home and see the businesses that will be created and the storytelling potential of an old but new part of Weatherfield."

The Queen met soap stars during her visit to the set last year to celebrate the show's diamond jubilee

The announcement comes as the show, which is world's longest running soap opera, moves to the 20:00 GMT time slot and will feature hour-long episodes.

Series producer Iain MacLeod said: "The fabled Weatherfield Precinct has been much discussed, but little seen on the show in our 61 years, and I am really excited to be expanding the Coronation Street universe."

He added that "plans for the shopping area are drawn directly from the real-world Salford environs that inspired the show's creator Tony Warren".

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