Henley unveils Regent Retail Park vision
Having acquired the Salford asset from M&G for £16m in 2020, the investor is planning to redevelop the site into a new residential neighbourhood featuring a five-acre park.
Henley Investment Management has today [Monday] launched a public consultation on its plans to completely overhaul Regent Retail Park.
The scheme would see the demolition of the 11 retail units on the northern portion of the site. These include Costa Coffee, TK Maxx, Home Bargains, and Boots.
In their place would be 10 residential blocks, including two tall buildings bookending the site at Oldfield Road and Ordsall Lane that will ‘provide an exciting new addition to the skyline’, according to the developer.
A hexagonal fulcrum building also features within Henley’s plans, along with commercial space that could be occupied by retail, leisure or food and beverage occupiers.
Sainsbury’s, which occupies part of the wider site, would be retained.
Tall buildings would bookend the development. Credit: consultation materials
“At the heart of our placemaking-led, people-first vision for Regent Park is a new urban park, which will provide much-needed green space for Salford residents,” said Matt Brook, founding director of Matt Brook Architects, which is leading on design.
“Our Masterplan creates a safe, walkable and inclusive neighbourhood, where nature and architecture work together harmoniously, fostering a community that prioritises liveability and wellbeing.”
Warwick Hunter, managing director of development and head of ESG at Henley added: “This unique development connects communities, activities and amenities in one sustainable new space that balances the needs, aspirations and ideas of the growing Salford population.
“We want a place that is fit for the community it serves, that fosters growth and that people can be proud to call home. We look forward to hearing people’s views on the emerging proposals and using that feedback to help develop our designs into a space that people want.”
The plans are in the early stages of development and work might not start until 2026 when the leases on the retail units expire.
Learn more about the proposals by visiting the consultation website.
Following the initial round of consultation, which runs until 15 March, more detailed proposals will be unveiled for a second round of consultation this spring.
Lexington is advising Henley on the consultation.
Terrible idea
By Phi
About time. Big box retail is longer suitable in this location. Would be good to get rid of the eastern part of the Sainsburys car park , the petrol station and former Staples too.
By ALL
As much as I love retail parks, they only have their use in the suburbs and this isn’t the best location for one given the city centre location. I look forward to seeing it turned into apartments. I just hope it becomes another skyscraper area similar to Deansgate Square but from the drawings it doesn’t look like there will be any 150m+ buildings.
By MC
Fantastic re-use of space. Next up: Manchester Fort, White City, and – the final boss of retail parks – the Trafford Centre!
By Anonymous
Tall skyscrapers add no value here. What Manchester / Salford needs here is great public realm and streets with appropriately scaled blocks that afford a high quality of life. Mega tall skyscrapers on every site are really only demanded by teenagers or sun city enthusiasts with no experience of the real world. An extension of Middlewood Locks would be ideal here!
By Anonymous
This is fantastic. Residential is all well and good, but we could do with big commercial units on the ground floor to replace the likes of Boots and JD Gym which are popular. Other cities round the world have multi-centric inner cities. Commercial below swanky towers can’t just mean swanky restaurants. The streets of the wealthy parts of London, Barcelona and Paris have a lot of normal local services at ground floor.
By Retail Needed
Some potentially nice massing there (stepping up in height towards the 4 towers on Water Street), also promising that this doesn’t seem to be a SimsponHaugh venture – if Manchester is to have an aspiring, dynamic skyline then it requires some diversity and hopefully (from what we can assume on that indicative sketch to the top of this article) then these towers may offer a nice contrast to the sea of glass arising across from this site. Looking forward to seeing more..
By Anonymous
I think slightly shorter talls might be better in this location as it gives a more progressive feel towards the city centre.
By Anonymous
I disagree I shop ere every week .building more flats not for the people who have lived on ordsall estate for years. Slowly trying to move ordsall estate out .
By Tony
I am in total disagreement with this scheme. We will lose our closest shops in particular Boots who have a very large number of customers who use the shop for getting their prescriptions filled .We have enough concrete buildings in this area. No more please !
By Onevoice
MC, Trinity island is like Deansgate Square already.
By CA
I hope that Pets at Home can be retained on site somewhere. A vet and groomers within walking distance is very useful, particularly for city dwellers without a car. But that ‘park’, it’s not a park, it’s a postage stamp with some seats.
By Anonymous
Superb. Not much more to add.
By Tom
There’s not much park left after the placement of 10 towers. The Sainsbury’s car park is used for parking for nearby residents now, interesting to know where they will all park if even 10% of the new residents have cars
By Harpsicord
A significant lack or foresight here on what should be a well integrated plan. The plan blocks off access (and space) for a railway station on the site of the former Oldfield Rd station, which would be a game-changer in terms of unlocking capacity through Manchester for both local and intercity rail services. All these people, no transport. Just large roads that are not in anyway pedestrian friendly. Salford City Council should be showing ambition and foresight, they’re shooting themselves in the foot by not safeguarding some of this land, or at least building it in-tandem with transport planners. Come of Salford, you can do better!
By Anonymous
Great idea
By Anonymous
I can understand the need for this development, close to town, and existing tower blocks. It will be nice to go down Regent road and not have to look at a retail park. It’s good that they are including a park, hope they include a gym or retain that as well. Just need a tram down Regent road now to join onto Eccles New road.
Hope that the retail units can find somewhere else local or get some commercial space in the blocks after if deemed suitable.
By JAB
Be good to also get a tram here with how many people will be residing here once all the developments complete.
By Verticality
It looks like 2 of the towers are >150m if you compare to the neighbouring Trinity Islands development
By Dave
There is no public transport infrastructure here they need to improve that as well.
By Anonymous
Backwards step, losing the local retail centre for more flats, what’s the point?
By Dan
@anonymous was this located on the other side of the Oldfield Road bridge? Looks a bit tight for space. In any case until the issues along the Castlefield corridor get sorted presumably adding another station here would make things worse
By Levelling Up Manager
No mention of improved public transport facilities, or even segregated space for busway/tramway. Surely potential for a new railway station, too? (Although these are the same decision makers who closed Pendleton station!)
We have to get better at integrated planning
By Prescotian
Imagine crying over the loss of a retail park of all things
By Anonymous
It’s more than likely that there will be some retail provided at the bottom of the towers, along with the retention of Sainsburys. So the retail centre will be retained to a degree.
The loss of the existing units will encourage footfall into MCC and the units which aren’t in MCC may use this as a opportunity to provide one. Bit of a win-win if they do it right as retail parks are what kill retail in town centres.
By @Dan
Sounds great but where are all these people supposed to shop? Do they not need clothes, a chemist, a gym?
By Anonymous
With virtually no retail on Ordsall Lane, Sainsbury’s about to close the pharmacy, then this retail going, it might cause some problems / inconveniencies. The gym is packed to the rafters most of the time, with plenty walking there from nearby apartments – there are few places for this to relocate nearby. Decent size ground floor retail in some of these blocks wouldn’t go amiss.
By Allotmentlad
Just what we need. NOT. Leave the shops alone.
By Anonymous
City centre really spreading out now. Once the Trinity towers go up nearby that’s a link over to all of the towers on Deansgate square and Jackson st. That’s more than just a cluster. Having the green space is essential but so is maintaining some retail on the ground floor as an addition to Sainsbury’s.
By John
The amount of cars on the car parks all usually full,. Doesn’t that tell us that the shops here are being optimised. Another part of Salford turning into Manchester.
By Chris
As long as keep the Sainsbury’s and add a bit of retail on the ground floors who cares about about the loss of a Retail park? There’s loads of em. Get this started and the city centre growing!
By Anonymous
Another ‘community’ without soul….why don’t you ask the residents on the other side of regent road what they would like to see. It is their community already, one about to be dwarfed by more tall blocks of flats.
By Anonymous
Soul? Yeah retail parks are known for their soul! Having a real park as well as more homes is much more impactful towards making a community.
By Anonymous
Fantastic plans. Ignore the NIMBY’s.
By Anonymous
I live on the other side of Regent Rd. I want to see this. Should look spectacular , better than a car park with few stores and charity shops.
By Anonymous
Knocking down shops (and a local town centre which is what this is) for more private flats is a disgrace
By Dan
A forward step would be demolishing the retail park and building apartments over shop units with a green square. That’s what I understand as a town centre, not unsustainable, energy-munching retail sheds.
By SW
A retail park is not a “town centre”. It’s a bunch of tin sheds within a windswept car park – absolutely grim environment totally unsuited to a town centre.
The developers / council do need to make sure that the retail space is replaced though. That’s the problem with much of the recent development – too often there’s no social infrastructure or shops provided for thousands or new homes – Ordsall Lane is a prime example.
By Shop watch
Oh come off it Dan! a local town centre! It’s a very small retail park, it’s near the city centre and it has half a dozen shops and a Sainsbury’s which is staying. Try harder.
By Anonymous
Regent Road retail park is way more vibrant and successful than Deansgate Square, which is windswept and quiet, this will be even worse than DS
By Ds
All the best to them in getting this approved. There’s always a few stuck in the past, but this is about progress. This will be approved and so it should be
By John
A town centre!? You mean a tired old retail park surely. This is no one’s idea of a town centre. That’s right up there with ‘offices are no longer needed’ and ‘what’s the point of all these apartments?’
By James
Will be great to get this underway as soon as planned permission passes. Bit if a mess around there at the moment. This looks like it will link it into the city centre especially as Middlewood locks and Trinity way expand.
By Tom
People who want a public gym, a pharmacy and other shops are stuck in the past, we should close this area off and build flats with no public amenities, that is real progress
By DH
Progress first NIMBYs second, that’s how Manchester has always moved. Derelict old car parks and retail parks have largely disappeared around the city centre. This one will too, and won’t be missed.
By HD
I like the design especially if it includes that green space which is essential to link it to the ground. This will fly through approval.
By Abbey J
Whilst I agree that the retail park is a bit down at heel these days, it could easily be spruced up a little at minimum cost. I don’t see it as failing – daytime, the car park is always very busy, and there’s a huge footfall from both the Ordsall estate and the tower blocks already surrounding it. Personally, the loss of Boots would be a tremendous blow, given the closure of boots at the precinct, and the imminent closure of the pharmacy within Sainsburys, as we rely on the pharmacy for weekly meds. The only alternative is K’s, and they have limited opening hours and are already overwhelmed.
As for going into town? I can’t stand the crowds, or the time and expense it takes just getting in and out, never mind how far you have to walk to find everything you want. I just want my shopping, not an experience day!
By Rob
Most people from Ordsall don’t use town, they use the retail park, this would be a massive blow, it seems like many on here don’t care, as long as more towers are built they’d love all the shops are pharmacies to get knocked down
By Clive
This is a bad idea and would put 100’s of people out of work during a cost of living crisis, the area is already full of apartment blocks with not enough shops
By Anonymous