Filming in Manchester: permits and fees
Screen Manchester is Manchester's production-facing film office, coordinating location permissions, council liaison, road closures, traffic management, crew links, and facilities support.
Who issues permits
Screen Manchester is the production-facing contact for filming on location in Manchester. Manchester City Council confirms that location filming requests go through Screen Manchester, which then liaises with the relevant council departments and Greater Manchester Police. Productions working at MediaCityUK in Salford are in a different authority area and should contact Salford City Council separately.
Process
Start with Screen Manchester’s filming route and permit page. For major productions requiring road closures, allow several weeks because traffic-management and police liaison sit outside a simple location request. The application covers proposed locations, dates, crew size, equipment, vehicles, parking, traffic control, and insurance.
Fees
Fees depend on shoot scale, council land/property use, parking, road closures, and traffic management. Screen Manchester and the relevant council departments confirm charges once the shoot requirements are known.
What’s covered
Location filming across Manchester, including public highways and pavements, council parks, civic buildings, public squares, and private locations where council liaison is required for traffic, parking, or public-space impact.
Popular filming locations in Manchester include the Northern Quarter, Ancoats, and the streets around Manchester Town Hall.
Typical restrictions
Shoots involving noise, lighting, road control, traffic management, parking suspensions, or public-space disruption need advance approval. Parks bookings must provide evidence of public liability insurance. Full road closures require traffic-management planning and police/council liaison.
Common reasons applications are refused or delayed
Most delays come down to paperwork gaps rather than outright policy objections.
- Insurance certificate missing a public liability endorsement, or cover not confirmed for the specific activity
- Risk assessment too thin for road-control, night work, lighting, or crowd-management activity
- No evidence of neighbouring consent where affected businesses have been canvassed
- Date conflict with an existing council event or scheduled market
- Application submitted under the stated lead time with no prior conversation
- A previous complaint logged at the same location that has not been formally resolved
Contact
- Web: screenmanchester.com/filming/filming-in-manchester
- Council page: Manchester City Council filming
Apply through Screen Manchester -> screenmanchester.com
FAQ
- Who issues this filming permit?
- Manchester City Council / Screen Manchester issues filming permits for its area. Applications go through the council's filming / events team — not the local parks department or police, although those may also be consulted.
- How long is the lead time?
- Allow at least 10 working days. Complex applications involving road closures, drone use, or multiple locations need more — plan 2–4 weeks ahead where possible.
- What's the typical cost?
- Manchester City Council / Screen Manchester quotes filming fees case-by-case based on scale, duration, and public-realm impact. Small documentary crews are often charged an admin fee only; feature-film shoots involving road closures cost meaningfully more.
- What does this permit cover?
- The permit typically covers streets, parks, civic buildings, residential. Private property and other national-body land (e.g. Crown Estate, National Trust, Royal Parks) may need separate consent.
- How do I apply?
- Apply via Manchester City Council / Screen Manchester's filming page at https://screenmanchester.com/filming/filming-in-manchester/. Submit your dates, locations, crew numbers, and equipment list. Expect a risk-assessment request and, for larger shoots, a pre-filming meeting.