Hirst to lead £7bn Old Trafford regeneration

Karen Hirst will lead the 15,000-home scheme as project director having left Maple Grove Developments in October.

Hirst, who spent almost 10 years at Maple Grove, has been selected by Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to work alongside Lord Sebastian Coe to lead the nationally significant regeneration initiative.

Former Olympian Coe is the chair of the Mayoral Development Corporation set up to facilitate the scheme. Hirst will work within the MDC alongside council staff and with landowners including Manchester United FC and Freightliner.

“I am excited to be taking on this new role and I am looking forward to working with Lord Coe, the teams at GMCA, Trafford Council, Manchester United FC and other key partners, stakeholders and local residents,” Hirst said.

“After working in both the private and public sector, I know that ambitious regeneration projects such as Old Trafford Regeneration are challenging and will require many parties and people to make it a success.”

Hirst brings significant public sector and big project experience to the role.

She worked for more than five years at Salford City Council and was also a key player at the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, which led the creation of MediaCity through the redevelopment of the city’s derelict former docklands over the ship canal from her new patch.

Lord Coe said: “[Karen’s] wealth of experience coupled with her passion and enthusiasm for this transformation are a powerful combination. Once we have Parliamentary approval in place [for the MDC], we can really set to work on making the ambitious vision a strong and sustainable reality.”

The 400-acre Old Trafford regeneration project is among the highest profile regeneration initiatives in the country and one that could generate more than £7bn for UK plc and £4.2bn locally, according to research by Oxford Economics.

A masterplan for the 400-acre opportunity is currently being drawn up by Allies and Morrison and is due for completion early next year.

The centrepiece of the scheme is a new stadium for Manchester United but a standoff about land values is holding that project up.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “Trafford’s ambitious regeneration plans have a major role to play in bringing good growth to all parts of Greater Manchester – and I have every confidence that Karen will use her expertise and determination to help deliver on that mission. 

“The impact of our Mayoral Development Corporations is there to see across the city region. With our devolved powers we’re building new homes, creating new skilled jobs, and doing it in a way that joins up new development with the infrastructure to support it.” 

Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, added: “This masterplan is huge for Trafford and we are pleased to welcome Karen who will oversee the transformation of Old Trafford to become an iconic and internationally-important place to live, work and visit.”