ITV has announced that work is beginning on a significant expansion to the Coronation Street set in Trafford.
The new exterior build is the Weatherfield Precinct, which has been referenced on the soap for decades but has barely been seen.
The Precinct is a two-storey construction, comprising maisonettes, a piazza and a series of local shops and accessible units.
© ITV
"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," said series producer Iain MacLeod.
"The plans for the shopping area are drawn directly from the real-world Salford environs that inspired the show's creator Tony Warren and exemplify the authenticity and ambition we still prize as we move to hour-long episodes this week."
Production designer Rosie Mullins-Hoyle added: "We are extremely excited to be starting to build Weatherfield Precinct this week after a year of technical drawings, model making, visualising and planning.
"An incredible amount of research has been carried out focussing on 1960s local architecture and we are striving to create an authentic area of Weatherfield with a grittier vibe to the existing street that we know and love."
She continued: "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."
Construction is expected to take around six months, meaning that the Precinct will likely be seen on screen for the first time at the end of this year or early in 2023.
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