Old Trafford stand Labour c PNW

The opportunity is Britain's biggest since London 2012, according to Andy Burnham. Credit: PNW

Man United leaning towards 100,000-seater Old Trafford new-build

Meanwhile, Trafford Council and the GMCA are eyeing the creation of a mayoral development corporation to unlock the wider £4.3bn Old Trafford opportunity.

Manchester United is leaning towards the creation of a 100,000-seater new-build rather than redeveloping the existing ground, according to a report by Deloitte.

A decision on whether Manchester United will redevelop the existing Old Trafford stadium or build a new one on adjacent land is expected before the end of the season. The club is understood to favour the new-build option, which is preferred among fans, and would “amplify” the benefits to the club and wider community.

The new-build would have a 100,000 capacity and the refurb would increase capacity of the existing stadium from 74,000 to 87,000, according to a report by Deloitte.

Meanwhile, the regeneration of the area around Manchester United’s stadium could be accelerated through the creation of an MDC, similar to the one that has driven the transformation of Stockport town centre.

Trafford Council’s executive will meet on 27 January to discuss the scale of the Old Trafford opportunity.

A report by Oxford Economics states that successful implementation of proposals – which include plans for up to 17,000 homes around the stadium – could create around 48,000 new jobs in the borough and add £4.2bn to the local economy. The value to UK plc is estimated at more than £7bn.

In order to maximise the project’s chances of success, Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority propose creating an MDC that would have powers to acquire and develop land and bring forward new infrastructure.

One element of the masterplan the MDC could play a key role in is the relocation of the Freightliner terminal to St Helens to free up land next to the stadium.

Old Trafford, Manchester United, c Nat Callaghan on Unsplash

The Old Trafford redevelopment ties in with the Trafford Wharfside masterplan. Credit: Nat Callaghan on Unsplash

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said the regeneration of Old Trafford was the most significant project of its type for more than a decade.

“These proposals offer the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012 and are an important part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth not only around Old Trafford but across Greater Manchester,” he said.

“Transforming the area around Old Trafford won’t just benefit Greater Manchester. By beginning to move freight away from the site we can bring new life to underused industrial land, open up capacity on our rail network, and unlock massive potential across the whole of the North.”

The MDC would be separate from the regeneration partnership formed by Trafford Council, Manchester United, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority last year and the Old Trafford Taskforce, headed up by Lord Sebastian Coe.

At next week’s meeting, Trafford’s executive will also consider supporting the creation of a Mayoral Development Zone within the wider Western Gateway in partnership with Salford City Council and agree the commission of a revised strategic masterplan.

The Western Gateway is one of Greater Manchester’s growth locations and incorporates  Carrington, Port Salford, Partington, Trafford City and Trafford Park.

Salford City Council will consider the proposals the following day.

“We fully welcome these important regeneration plans, they present a really positive step for the future growth of this area,” said Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett.

“This gives us the opportunity to explore all options associated with this area and together with our colleagues at Trafford Council and the GMCA, it means we can begin serious conversations about shaping the future of this part of the region.

He added: “Our attention will very much be on Port Salford and how the plans in Trafford dovetail with our joint ambitions to realise significant growth opportunities in the ‘Western Gateway’ area. Key to this is exploring opportunities to secure significant infrastructure investment.”

Trafford Wharfside, Trafford Council, p council documents

The stadium project forms part of a wider plan to regenerate the area. Credit: via council documents

Cllr Liz Patel, executive member for economy and regeneration at Trafford Council, described the Old Trafford opportunity as “once in a lifetime”.

“We are working with our partners at Manchester United, GMCA, Salford City Council, local residents, and businesses to make sure these plans will benefit everyone,” she said.

“There will be new jobs, new homes, more shops and food outlets for visitors. It will be a world class experience for fans and it will create green spaces to make it better for the environment.

“This is a long-term plan that will take several years to bear fruit but, as the report says, this is one of the most significant opportunities for urban renewal in the borough and the results will be great for Trafford and the surrounding region.”

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Hear that? It’s called ambition – and it’s why Manchester is powering ahead of other UK cities. Truly THE model for creating economic growth

By Anonymous

Whatever they do, I hope there is a requirement to have an improvement to the traffic caused. The current location of the stadium means it is near impossible to get in/out of town anytime around matches. Moving away from key arterial roads may help.

By Anonymous

Considering our weather, I really, really hope they are planning to have a proper roof while the opportunity is available. Otherwise, its a bit of a struggle to consider it a 21st century experience if the fans spend the coming decades sat in seats exposed to the elements …

By MrP

The notion of scarce national funds being used to pay for a multi-billion pound football business to get a new stadium, under the guise of regeneration spin, is not only offensive but also indicative of how deeply the rot is in this “country’s” government.

Manchester has had the benefit of over £150bn of government pump priming over the past 20 years. Surely that should be enough for them to be getting on with.

By Jeff

Hi Support a brand new stadium 🏟

By Anonymous

So long as United’s owners actually pay for the stadium then it’s a good scheme.

By Anonymous

At last a proper Economic Benefit Analysis by Oxford Economics instead of a profit/loss business case report (as if you were running a corner shop in Grantham). At last the grown-ups are in charge.

By Anonymous

Manchester is still not an attractive city in my opinion.

By Anonymous

Jeff, not sure where you are getting those figures from but if they’re true then it’s a model Liverpool should follow.

By Anonymous

Bit big for the championship isn’t it. Seriousness, stadiums that big, for 50% of the punters the viewing is rubbish. You’re mile away from the action, and no doubt given the scope here it will be a multi-use venue rather than a proper football stadium.

By PrestonBrummie

@Jeff the government has in no way spent over £150bn on Manchester in the past 20 years, you have literally just made that figure up. This country is in desperate need of rebalancing and providing an economic counter to London and the South East – Manchester is one of the best cities to do that in. Look to Germany to see how difficult it is to bridge economic and productivity gaps that have been present decades. They’ve literally spent trillions trying to rebalance their economy and are still a long way off but have made progress. The UK is spending no where near this much but Manchester has done well to take initiative and try and forge their own path towards bridging the gap. I don’t agree with the government directly paying to build a huge asset for a multi-billion pound business, but the regeneration of this area is a huge opportunity and needs to be done right the first time, otherwise we will be left with the scars for many many years and will have wasted valuable resources. Get this right and everybody in the UK can benefit in one way or another. Get it wrong and it will be another white elephant project that the UK has far too many of already

By Jeff's Enemy

There’s no doubt of the catalytic impact of something this big, but are there the flights from Dublin and Scandinavia to cope? Ditto hotel bedrooms.

By More Anonymous than the others

As long as the tax payers doesn’t pay a penny for the stadium under the guise of wider “regeneration”

By Council Tax Payer

They should just build a 25,000 seater stadium and charge the fans four times as much. That would help with a lot of the infrastructure issues.

By Ram Tailor

Bold to assume 100,000 people will come to watch EFL Championship games

By Matt

Ambitious stuff which is great but even more ambitious to think that Trafford know what they are doing given that their Stretford Sale and Altrincham plans continue to flounder

By Trafford

Good for them as long as no taxpayer money goes towards the football business. The cynic in me says this is all smoke and mirrors for a grab at taxpayer money by Radcliffe

By Verum

Better make sure United are still in the Premier League next season before going ahead.

By Francis

Manchester isn’t bothered about being pretty but bitter and flaccid.
It’s using its balls and brains.

By Anonymous

Jeff I would love to know how you came up with the £150 billion figure?

By Anonymous

This will be the best stadium in Championship

By Anonymous

One thing you can guarantee is that the proposed housing will be nondescript tenaments with cars and vans littering every pavement and no new public transport system put in place.

By Peter Chapman

Re: Anonymous at 10.05 am . Manchester has a lot of unattractive and attractive areas. What it is not is a museum.What it is though is a thriving City looking forward to the future.

By Peter Chapman

Disappointing to see Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester ,wants to gift the freight terminal to his mate Steve Rotherham in Merseyside.
In answer to Jeff earlier how much more investment does the Liverpool city region combined authority republic need?

By Lord Heseltine

Mr. P. “Considering our weather?” Manchester has less rainfall than most major cities in Europe. Check the weather facts. Do not believe the blabber spread by media folk who just repeat what every body else says or writes. Look out of the window. It is dry today, as it is most days.

By Anonymous

Liverpool FC’s cheapo owners are going to leave the club hopelessly left behind if this is built. The club will need it’s own equivalent. If they get a change of ownership may I suggest the Festival Gardens site as the ideal place. A potentially epic riverside location with plenty of space for ancillary development.

By Pete

The implications of the relocation of the freightliner terminal, costs and benefits, remains a key issue which has still not been fully explored.
East Manchester is already the exemplar in cost effective, public/private, sports led regeneration. It is therefore understandable that others have seen this vision and success and want to learn from the leaders in the regeneration field.

By Anonymous

January 20, 2025 at 2:16 pm – By Anonymous
(AKA Mr meteorologist) 😉

“Our weather” is referring to Britain. You do have a good point about Manchester though.
It wasn’t me that mentioned rainfall…
I’m in Greater Manchester, certainly rainy here.

Over to you 🙂

By MrP

I hope they utilise that train line next to the stadium to get people in and out of the area. Otherwise the city will just suffer more traffic chaos and the trams will struggle even more than they do now.

By Quail

What are the plans for the existing businesses in that red zone ?? That’s a lot of jobs potentially being lost ….

By Anonymous

I think to build a new stadium and regenerate the area can only be a good thing for both Salford and Manchester in general

By Steve Lloyd

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