Middlewood Locks adds Sainsbury’s and craft beer bar
Sainsbury’s Local and craft beer bar Seven Brothers are the first two retail and leisure tenants to sign up at the 25-acre site in Salford, set to feature 2,215 homes and 900,000 sq ft of commercial space once complete.
Sainsbury’s Local is set to open in a 4,600 sq ft ground floor commercial unit fronting the corner of East Ordsall Lane and Middlewood Street at the gateway to the site.
Elsewhere on the site, Seven Brothers will be opening its second craft beer bar in the city, following the success of its existing offering on Cotton Square in Ancoats. The brewery itself is based just outside Salford Quays.
The first phase of Middlewood Locks, being developed by Scarborough International Properties and FairBriar International, has already completed, with 570 homes delivered alongside a number of commercial units. BCEGI acted as main contractor.
Phase two is now under way, again with BCEGI delivering the build; this includes four further buildings of up to 10 storeys, proving 546 apartments. The second phase will also provide ground-level parking and public realm.
In total, Middlewood Locks is set to provide 2,215 homes and 900,000 sq ft of commercial development including offices, a hotel, shops, and restaurants.
The site has also attracted significant investor interest with a joint venture between Delancey Oxford Residential, APG and Qatari Diar confirming the forward-purchase of more than 800 rental homes at the scheme earlier this year.
Future plans for the site could include two towers of 50 and 30 storeys, according to Scarborough chairman Kevin McCabe, who told Place North West these could be an option depending on the strength of the residential market.
FairBriar is the joint venture set up by Scarborough, in which it holds a 50% stake, with Metro Holdings of Singapore and Hualing Group of China each holding a 25% share.