Masterplan unveiled for area around Manchester United’s Old Trafford

Trafford Council has published its draft 15-year framework for 215 acres encompassing the football stadium, Imperial War Museum North, and Victoria Warehouse – a vision that includes up to 5,000 homes and a new primary school.

The local authority worked alongside Peel, Salford City Council, and Manchester United on the draft Trafford Wharfside Development Framework, which will be discussed at an executive committee meeting on 26 February.

If approved, the document will go out to consultation in early March.

Drawn up by masterplanner Hawkins\Brown, planning consultant Avison Young, landscape architect LDA Design, and transport, highways, and civils expert Civic Engineers, the framework could have its final verdict by the end of this summer.

The framework has two sister documents also up for approval: Trafford Wharfside Master Plan and Trafford Wharfside Parameters Plans – both created by Capita. Together, these three strategic documents break Trafford Wharfside into five areas: Trafford Wharf, Heritage Quarter, Stadium District, Innovation Quarter, and Wharfside Heart.

The five areas of Trafford Wharfside. Credit: via council documents

Trafford Wharf, which includes the Imperial War Museum North, has potential build-to-rent housing, hotels, workspace, and retail spaces, according to the plan. The Heritage Quarter, which includes No. 1 Old Trafford and Victoria Warehouse, is appropriate for similar uses.

Residential is part of the vision for the Stadium Quarter, although not necessarily in the BTR format. The area is also suitable for workspace, retail, and cultural activity.

Much of the residential offer though is reserved for Wharfside Heart. This is meant to be a new neighbourhood, with a park, family homes, later-living residential, primary school, and primary healthcare facility. There would also be provision for workspaces, retail, and a mobility hub.

By contrast, the Innovation Quarter, which includes the former Ford Motor Works and the Whitworth Hovis Building, is listed as ideal for light industrial, maker spaces, workspaces, and a logistics hub.

Trafford Wharfside’s draft masterplan includes a provision for buildings of up to 30 storeys in height. It also acknowledges that it is unlikely all 5,000 homes will be delivered in the 15 years outlined, although it is optimistic that 2,500 could be built.

Thinking more about the residential element, the plan acknowledges that most of the homes will be apartments – of which half are expected to have two bedrooms. The council said it would also like to see around 250 townhouses delivered in the masterplan area.

Moving outside of buildings, the framework includes a 2.5-acre linear public park and other public realm that celebrates the Manchester Ship Canal waterfront. Improving the public space around Manchester United’s Old Trafford is also a priority.

Improving the public realm around Old Trafford is a priority in the Trafford Wharfside masterplan. Credit: Nat Callaghan on Unsplash

Cllr Liz Patel, executive member for economy and regeneration at Trafford Council, said: “The Trafford Wharfside masterplan offers a regeneration vision for a hugely important area within Trafford…

“Working with our partners and private developers, we will be looking to create new homes, new neighbourhoods and help create a world-class setting for the Manchester United stadium,” she continued.

“This is an exciting time for Trafford – with many major building schemes up and running. I am delighted that the Trafford Wharfside area is the focus of this important future planning.”

Regarding Trafford’s neighbour over the canal, Salford City Council’s lead member for planning, transport, and sustainable development, Cllr Mike McCusker, said the local authority was “proud” to be working with Trafford on the scheme.

“The plans for Trafford Wharfside go hand-in-hand with developments being realised in Salford at MediaCity through our strategic regeneration framework and Salford Quays Vision 2030,” McCusker said.

“Once combined, developments on both sides of the water will provide, much-needed homes, develop an exciting and highly desirable neighbourhood as well as further cementing the area’s reputation as an extremely special place to live and work.

“This is a really positive step and I know all the partners involved are really excited to see this vision come to life and keen to see what the future holds for this area of the region.”

Trafford’s private sector partners were also keen to share their support.

Manchester United’s chief operating officer, Collette Roche, said: “This vision for Trafford Wharfside is tremendously exciting and we are proud to be supporting Trafford Council with their ambitious plans for an area with such huge potential.”

Peel associate director Anna Bensky said: “Through working with Trafford Council and our other partners we can help deliver a vibrant new neighbourhood which boasts world-class cultural and sporting attractions on its doorstep as well as MediaCity which will be doubling in size over the next decade – bringing even more opportunity to the local community.”

Returning to the built environment side of things, Civic Engineers director Paul Morris spoke about the opportunity the masterplan provides.

“As the home of the iconic Old Trafford and other cultural institutions, and with its strong transport links and connectivity to the city centre, there’s a huge opportunity for Trafford Wharfside to be a thriving, healthy and happy neighbourhood and a destination for growth,” Morris said. “The proposals focus on unlocking the potential of the site by creating high-quality homes, commercial spaces, public realm and an attractive waterfront and connecting it to local sustainable transport networks, and represent an important step forward for the regeneration of the area.”