The proposal to create a central business district originated in 1997 when Allied London purchased a number of buildings around the John Rylands Library.

Following the demolition of the old Manchester Magistrates' Court in 2006, the vacant space became Hardman Square, a new public realm area created in the centre of Spinningfields.

The scheme's flagship thoroughfare, The Avenue, was created to attract high-end stores, traditionally based on nearby King Street.

In July 2013, it was announced that work was set to begin on 1 Hardman Street, a five-storey office block, with tenant MediaCom to occupy the entire 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m2) building.

[16] In March 2016, with the building – renamed as XYZ – nearing completion and fully pre-let, Allied London sold it to Union Investment for £85 million.

[17] Also in January 2014, Allied London submitted plans for the demolition of Quay House and the construction of Number One Spinningfields, a 19-storey high-rise designed by SimpsonHaugh and Partners.

[26] Manchester Evening News vacated the site and relocated offices to Chadderton following the sale of the title from the Guardian Media Group to Trinity Mirror.

Situated in the area is the People's History Museum, a former pump house, and on the other side of the river is Salford Central railway station.

Leftbank Apartments are close to a cluster of restaurants including Café Rouge, Carluccio's, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Giraffe, Ha!

[33] A new street food initiative was announced for Spring/Summer 2015 named 'The Kitchens',[34] which hosted a number of local traders on the Leftbank area of Spinningfields.

[35] After entering into negotiations with sellers ITV, Allied London, alongside Manchester City Council, acquired the land in September 2013 in a £26.5 million deal.

The council and Allied London have created a partnership under the name of Manchester Quays Limited, and plan to jointly redevelop the site, renamed St John's, into a mixed-use area featuring apartments, retail and 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) of office space.