60-acre Salford park planned as part of Strangeways regeneration
A “regionally significant” area of green space within the Cambridge area of the city is one of the highlights of a draft regeneration framework for the challenged neighbourhood.
The Strangeways and Cambridge strategic regeneration framework sets out a vision to deliver around 7,000 homes in buildings up to 30 storeys and 3.1m sq ft of new or improved commercial space across 320 acres spanning both Manchester and Salford.
One less expected element of the proposal is Copper Park, located on the Salford side of the border and designed to contend with the area’ environmental challenges.
The park will be located north of the Irwell, east of Great Clowes Street, and south of Broughton Lane in an area dominated by low grade industrial units. it will span just shy of 60 acres and is located in an area of “insurmountable flood risk”, according to the SRF, which is due to go out to consultation later this week.
The park, parts of which will be “constantly wet”, will feature:
- Floodable areas with a naturalised character and enhanced existing woodlands to encourage an increase in habitats and biodiversity.
- An urban park and destination – accommodating sports, play areas, and fitness facilities, promoting physical activity and community activities.
- Social spaces for gatherings, fostering connections and enhancing a sense of belonging within the community, including safe quiet spaces to support mental health.
- Space for markets and events to contribute to the wider vibrancy for the park, offering opportunities for cultural exchange and entertainment for local communities and as attractors of visitors to the area.
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett. said: “We’ve been on a journey of growth and regeneration in recent years, and our work has changed the landscape in different parts of Salford for the benefit of our residents. It’s now time to focus on the Cambridge area and working with colleagues in Manchester, this framework provides us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to do that.
“This framework proposes options for the Salford part of the SRF, taking into account the requirements of residents and local businesses, and the need for quality housing in the area. The key will be to balance these needs with what the long-term flood data is telling us and how we future-proof the area against climate change.
“The proposals in the framework seek to identify the best possible options for this area. These include the exciting opportunity to create a new city park for all, with an option for appropriate levels of mixed-use development, to continue to drive sustainable growth.”
The Strangeways/Cambridge SRF has been drawn up by Avison Young alongside Maccreanor Lavington, Feilden Clegg Bradley, Schulze-Grassov, Civic Engineers, Useful Projects, and Placed.
It represents a cross-border approach to regeneration and a joint strategy to address the area’s long-standing issues.
The park is one of seven character areas. Credit: via SRF
The councils have long recognised the growth potential of the area, which is located on the fringes of Manchester city centre, where demand for both homes and commercial space is high.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing the area is the presence of HMP Manchester.
The prison has long been thought of as a barrier to the area’s growth and Manchester City Council has asked the Ministry of Justice to relocate it elsewhere. As yet, the MoJ has not obliged.
Due to a lack of movement on the relocation plans, the SRF has be drawn up with the prison in situ. However, the SRF acknowledges the scale of the opportunity around the prison should it ever move.
“The future of this area is intrinsically tied to the long-term fate of the prison, whose continued presence precludes significant investment or wholescale development of the area,” the SRF states.
Overall, the SRF sets out plans for seven neighbourhoods, described as follows:
- HMP Manchester & Jury Street: A catalytic neighbourhood at the heart of the SRF. Home of the existing HMP Manchester with potential for long term change subject to the relocation of the prison.
- Derby Street: An intensified business district, supported to ensure the long-term preservation and evolution of the business base in the area.
- Copper Park: A regional destination, multi-functional open space delivered to create positive amenity and biodiversity in response to future flood risk.
- Overbridge: Gateway to Copper Park from the city centre, an area of significant residential potential – up to 2,000 homes – but with important economic assets and heritage.
- Cheetham Park: A new urban-suburban residential neighbourhood of up to 1,000 homes, building on the heritage of the Victorian Cheetham Park and the nascent residential community around it.
- Dutton Street: The Dutton Street area is a natural extension of the city centre. Subject to the existing Great Ducie Street SRF, it is identified as residential-led mixed use area – up to 4,000 homes – where significant development and investment is already evident. This part of the SRF could accommodate 1.75m sq ft of new commercial space
- Lord Street: A transitional neighbourhood, connecting the residential-led change in Dutton Street with the economic focus of Derby Street to the north, and with Red Bank and Victoria North to the east.
Leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig said: “This framework is our shared long-term vision, alongside our colleagues in Salford, to deliver a transformation in the Strangeways and Cambridge communities.
“We know this area has challenges, including the prison that presents a key barrier to the regeneration of the area, but we also know that there is energy and a community brimming with potential.
“We will deliver huge change in Strangeways in the coming years, working alongside the people who live and work there, and as we move to consultation in the coming weeks, we want to speak to local people and businesses about how we can make this part of the city thrive.”
60 acres of park sounds fantastic. While the prison is a blight, anyone expecting the MOJ to close prisons when the lack of capacity in the prison estate is regular headline news is delusional.
By Anonymous
Lovely bit of urban planning. Hope to see this come to fruition!
By Anonymous
I really hope the part closest to the city centre contains a huge skyscraper cluster, whilst above it should be a huge park!
By MC
Opportunity from adversity. New park is just what the city centre needs. Plus preserving employment and cultural offer is critical
By Don cheglioni
That’s more like it. Urban and green space living.
By Anonymous
Interesting pattern emerging where Manchester and Salford are increasing green space as the both cities regenerate and densify, but they are also flood / climate change infrastructure around the Medlock, Irk and Irwell. I guess you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
By Rich X
The green space game changer that Manchester needs.
By Anonymous
That picture looks very Brooklynesque. There is no holding Manchester, and yet we are still are pitifully held back,by Westminster’s inability to invest properly in our infrastructure. Thousands more crammed, on to the two-coach Metrolink trams.
By Elephant
A Development Corporation needs to be set up to deliver this site with funding support from central government, given the significance of the site. The planning of this area should look beyond should look beyond land ownership including HMP Strangeways and administrative borders. I think it would also be appropriate for a Development Corporation to take on the planning functions, which is the approach the more ambition mayor of London and has greatly expedited the regeneration process.
By Strangeways/Cambridge Mayoral Development Corporation
That is the most boring SRF I’ve ever seen. #getagraphicdesigner
By allergic to squirrels
Would be great to know how the cultural institutions that have been there for over 15 years will be supported. The White Hotel and Hidden have been a force for Manchesters creative scene. They a big part of the reason people want to be in this vibrant city.
By Laura
Once in a lifetime LOL
By Anonymous
The prison could be relocated out of town, to a modern facility, they could use part of the prison as a boutique hotel in a similar guise to other prisons that have closed.
The area around Strangways is a blight on the ever expanding city center area and needs to be bulldozed and regenerated
By AP
The biggest issue for most people I know who live or visit Manchester is the lack of accessible green space close to the city centre. For anyone that runs, enjoys outdoor sports or want to get a break from what is becoming one of the densest and most intense cities in western Europe, this will be music to their ears.
You can build in high density AND have large, quality green spaces.
This will not make up for Central Retail Park completely as we need plans like this in other parts of the city centre, however this is a step in the right direction and should be applauded.
By Anonymous
It is good to see some modernity in approaches to developing civic amenity. Flooding could be a game changer in the toolbox of the town planner, and Salford is as good a place as any to get started with it.
By Anonymous
More buildings will require more public services that are already overstretched and brings more pollution to the inner City
By Paul Griffiths
21st Century Manchester is proving to be very similar to 19th Century Manchester in its approach to development and personal mobility – built to high densities within walking distance of sources of employment.
By UnaPlanner
Yes please. If this all happens as suggested I’ll be delighted
By Local
There are plenty of parks green spaces already.
By Dave
Hi please can you confirm if my property is on the Cambridge master plan for development or park
B&J supplies 20-22 Mary street m3-1Dz
This is my land registration number Gm 260455
Kind regards Garry Almond
By Garry Almond
Hi Garry, you best bet is to email the council and ask – cambridge@salford.gov.uk. Best wishes, Dan
By Dan Whelan
UnaPlanner makes an excellent point, let’s hope that this time, future generations are not left with the legacy of squalor the 19th Century left us. There needs to be a massive effort to create decent green spaces, and this along with St Catherine’s Woods, is a start. They are close enough to combine and hopefully that is the plan.
By Elephant
Looks like a decent thought out plan, and a new park is the green icing on the cake
By GetItBuilt!
Continuing communication with local residents and businesses will be vital to gain acceptance of both plans and any eventual development
By John Hurley
Looking at Figure 4.2 – what would be the plan for White Hotel on Dickinson St? Can’t quite tell if it is marked for green space or not from the map alone.
By Anonymous
The city centre is expanding ever outwards. Having a new park of this size is something badly needed. I would love to look back 25 yrs from now and see the sheer scale of this hugely ambitious redevelopment of this area . The prison may have fallen into such disrepair by then they’ll have to remove it.
By Anonymous
I once rented a townhouse in Ordsall after visiting on the day and seeing the parkm I thought it would be a nice area to live, well looks can be deceiving
By Anonymous
Brilliant news – the park was an ambition of mine and it’s great to see it enshrined in a clear plan. Hope the wonderful buildings around Strangeways can be restored and repurposed for more vibrant uses as the area’s activities, people and markets change.
By Derek Antrobus
Can someone clarify what Cambridge is? There’s no such area, is there? If they’re coining a new name for somewhere, surely they need to acknowledge that, rather than just casually dropping it in like it’s always been called that
By Anonymous
Hi Anonymous.The area referred to as Cambridge is the Cambridge Industrial Estate. Best wishes, Dan
By Dan Whelan
Salford and Greater Manchester are blessed to have you Derek!
Really hope this park happens. We need it.
By Anonymous
So you want to make thousands of people unemployed to get a park
Besides there is a park across the road and how many people use that one! Rains most of the time and for the 2 days of sun that you get
And it’s flooded ones in more than 40 years as I have known and there’s a very large community here people have known each other for a very long time
By Qamar Altaf
What sort of employment are those commenting wanting to preserve? Its awash with counterfeit wholesalers, phone shops and all sorts of other low value and even clandestine activities. Should all be gone and built to attract the young and productive if we really want to narrow the gap between London and Manchester and the young want plentiful affordable and beautiful places to live and work
By Anonymous
Qamar Altaf your comment doesn’t make any sense.
That’s part of the point to have the park – because it floods.
And if you haven’t heard, there’s severe lack of greenspace in the city centre. This will bridge the gap.
As for the occupiers of the existing units, I’m sure there are some hard working decent people. But lets not pretend this isn’t the most corrupt part of Manchester right now.
By Anonymous
Is the current health centre facing green park being demolished and the houses and businesses just behind it being demolished
By Anonymous
There is plenty of green spaces already near here, Heaton park, Worsley gardens, Cheetham park, Green Grosvenor park, Albert park. In the centre of Manchester Piccadilly gardens looks nothing like it used to. Flooding issue: The flooding occurred from a breach of the embankment, which is further away from this area near the bridge on Frederick road and the water over flowed through the sewers. What needs to be addressed dredging of the river or widening it to increase its capacity and flood defences, The linking the EXISTING green areas and new flood basins up river. Also did anyone notice how quickly the flood waters of 25th December 2015 receded within 5 hours they were gone!!
I Wonder who got told to open the flood gates on the Manchester ship canal?
By John