GMPF submits plans for £200m Soapworks transformation
Proposals for the 8.5-acre Ordsall Lane site feature 450 apartments and 130,000 sq ft of offices.
Development managers Bankfoot APAM and Catella APAM are working with land owner Greater Manchester Pension Fund to deliver the £200m Soapworks project and have now submitted a planning application for the scheme to Salford City Council.
Three residential blocks of 33, 17, and 10 storeys are proposed for the existing surface car park adjacent to the Manchester Ship Canal.
Meanwhile, a vacant commercial building known as Block D is to be redeveloped into a 130,000 sq ft office scheme. A three-storey upward extension is planned for that building.
The additional workspace would take the total amount of office accommodation at Soapworks to 360,000 sq ft.
The existing 230,000 sq ft of offices are fully occupied following a 25,000 sq ft letting to the Department for Homes, Communities and Levelling Up.
The final built element of the proposals is a 12-storey transport hub located close to the site’s junction with Ordsall Lane. This part of the scheme features a multi-storey car park with 900 spaces as well as workspace on the lower floors.
The phasing of the Soapworks scheme would see the office and transport hub delivered first. GMPF is seeking full consent for these elements of the project. The residential part of the mixed-use complex, for which outline consent is sought, would be delivered subsequently.
Chapman Taylor is the architect and Ashton Hale is advising on planning.
To learn more, search for application reference PA/2023/0435 on Salford City Council’s planning portal.
- Credit: via planning documents
- Credit: via planning documents
Now is not the time for building offices, the office is dead
By DH
Well at least there are tram stops nearby so good place to develop. 33 story’s is a bit meh for Manchester these days…would’ve like to see something taller on the site.
By John
Oh look. A waterfront development in Manchester. So much potential for the rest of the waterfront.
By So iconic
Looks good, especially as that car park is mostly empty currently. This area really needs a footbridge to Pomona Island though.
By Anonymous
This project looks amazing. Hope it looks as it does in the renders with balconies and gardens etc. I think some pedestrian bridges across the ship canal to link all these new residential developments across to Pomona and Cornbrook Metrolink stations would be a great addition to the area.
By Quail
Superb!!! Hoping for similar all over Pomona but I wont hold my breath judging on what’s been built so far
By Bob
Clearly don’t work in town because you’d notice that the office is most certainly not dead.
By DH
This is a nice scheme, certainly much nicer than recent waterfront developments. Quite excited to see this area become more dense and attractive.
By Andee
The important thing is to make the public real enjoyable and worth to visit.
By Luke
I swear the ghost of Cal still haunts the comments…office is dead lol…of course it’s irony. These are a welcome addition even we do have an awful lot of offices. I’d work in one if only someone would let me.
By Worsley flyer
This looks like a fantastic addition to the area. Looking forward to see it done
By Helen
I’m so confused as to why things are moving so slowly with Pomona Island and the Cornbrook master plan. Obviously the DeTrafford fiasco just slowed things down but still. Why is nothing happening around there?
By Anonymous
1st time lve heard a carpark called a transport hub . Made me giggle
By Anonymous
Manchester does not have a waterfront ? its a man made canal .
By Anonymous
Waterfront is a part of land or building that abuts a body of water.
Manchester has a number of canals, river and lake waterfronts. You should visit, the Greater Manchester region has some of the best waterfront views in the country.
By Anonymous
I work in town, in a building that’s struggling for occupants, and occupants who can’t get staff to the office more than twice a week, like every other office in town
By DH
I work in city that has loads of offices with tenants and is building more all the time. I guess that’s the difference between success and failure.
By HD
As an inland city Manchester’s waterfront was built was built to increase economic trade and overcome adversity. It did very well. It still is !
By Anonymous
DH/Gilly – we are all well aware by now of your opinions on the office. Do you really have to repeat it on every thread?
By Anonymous
If you want to be pedantic, the stretch of the Ship Canal facing Soapworks started off as the River Irwell, was first canalised in the first half of the C18, and then later enlarged into the Ship Canal.
So it’s both a river and a canal, depending how you look at it.
Not sure what this has to do with it being a waterfront or not, though…
By Anonymous