Agreement signed for Urmston’s Manchester Giants arena

A £35m redevelopment of Urmston’s George H Carnall leisure centre, including a new 2,000 capacity arena for the Manchester Giants, will go ahead despite the change in leadership at Trafford Council.

The proposals to redevelop the site of the leisure centre into a health, sport, and wellbeing hub were first put forward by Cllr Sean Anstee, then leader of Trafford Council, in February this year.

After last month’s local elections, there has been a change in the top at the council with Cllr Andrew Western now chosen as leader, and he has already stepped in to pull one of the previous administration’s key projects at Turn Moss where plans were in place to build a new football training ground and updated sports facilities.

Western announced the council had withdrawn its planning application for the project in the weeks following the election, and also said the new administration would “never support housebuilding on Flixton’s green belt,” a policy previously backed by the previous leadership, which had put forward areas including the William Wroe golf course for housing use.

However, it is understood a legal agreement was signed by the council for the redevelopment of 1970s George H Carnall centre and the new home for the Manchester Giants in the days prior to the local elections, meaning the project is still on course to go ahead, even if other key projects from the previous council leadership have been reconsidered.

Plans for the redevelopment include a new health centre; and around 60 affordable homes for key workers such as nurses, police staff, and social workers.

Existing sports facilities at George H Carnall will be expanded and renovated to provide a 2,000-capacity sports and events facility, alongside a club shop, office, community facilities, and a café.

The team currently plays at the Trafford Powerleague Sportsdome, and is planning to move in to its new facility in time for the 2019/20 season.

Manchester Giants is working with investor and developer Equity Solutions Group to help bring forward the project.

The proposals follow the planned redevelopment of Urmston’s 1990s leisure centre, which is being carried out by Willmott Dixon.

The project, designed by architect 5plus was given planning approval earlier this year, and additions to the original building include a café, three studios, a party room, fitness suite, and changing facilities.

Together, the updated leisure centre and the redevelopment of George H Carnall amount to an investment of around £45m in the area.

A spokesperson from Trafford Council said: “Trafford Council continue to work with Manchester Giants on a proposal, which will be subject to a full public consultation and we hope to put proposals forward in July/August 2018.”

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Have had a look around and this looks to be a great opportunity for the Giants to establish a much-needed permanent base, along with medical facilities for the local community.

By Iain Roberts

Apart from the fact that the leisure centre will not offer anything like the capacity for sports and activities it does now, the public think they are getting a new leisure centre….they’re not. The medical facilities are welcome and the key worker accommodation, but it is to the detriment of publically accessible sports facilities. Plus the Giants are probably the worst team in the BBL (British Basketball League) with an attendance to match.

By Sorted

Why not include Manchester Thunder Netball?

By Multi Sport

Gosh the traffic is gonna be worse than shocking! Urmston won’t know what has hit it! Bad enough now.

By Russell Bolton

Time to move house. The traffic will be awful as it is bad enough now

By Sal

Mmm interesting that this all got signed off just days before the local elections and the basket ball team to be actually playing in the facility by 2019! All this without any real consultation.

By david m

Obviously local residents who live close to the development don’t matter. The extra Air Pollution, further traffic on the already congested Lostock Road, have surely not been considered. I have lived here all my life (70 years) and cannot wait to get away from the area, which at one time was it was a pleasure to live here, but residents obviously are not considered.

By C. Guest

Mmm….. Manchester Giants (chief executive john dwan) is working with investor and developer Equity Solutions Group to help bring forward the project (managing partner mike dwan _brother) mmmm….. a few failed investment projects to his name.

By RH

Hopefully the new house’s for nurses and police and possibly fire service personnel will be appropriately priced to reflect the low wage that they are paid.

By Dave

What are the proposals to deal with the additional traffic, at the already over loaded and over polluted junction 9 of the M60, onto Lostock Road?

By Paul Partington

It would be nice if the scout group next to the sports centre could be given a small piece of land to help run the group. The 150 young people that are members of this community group won’t be able to go on kingsway park if it’s full of houses. They only have a small car park too.

By Simon Field

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