Final sign-off nears for Crescent masterplan
Salford City Council has approved the regeneration framework for the 250-acre site, and developer English Cities Fund will soon be compelled to submit a business plan for the first component within the next six months.
A consultation on the £2.5bn Salford Crescent masterplan took place last autumn, proposing revisions such as the construction of a Metrolink extension connecting the area with Salford Quays.
The updated framework has since incorporated such changes, splitting the 20-year development site into six key areas – The Adelphi, Peel Park, Crescent, Innovation Zone, Transport Hub and Parks & River Zone.
Salford City Council’s approval this week of the so-called Crescent Strategic Master Programme and Delivery Plan means an overarching agreement signed between the council and its development partner ECF takes effect and becomes unconditional. However, the framework requires sign-off by each individual partner in the Crescent Partnership, which comprises the council, ECF and the University of Salford.
Once the other parties have granted their approval, ECF – a consortium comprising Homes England, Legal & General and Muse Developments – will be provided with the legal certainty required to begin planning development of the sites in detail, according to council documents produced ahead of Salford’s approval meeting this week.
In particular, business plans for the various sites across the Crescent area must be submitted to and approved by the Crescent Partnership, the documents state. The first business case must be submitted within six months from the approval of the framework.
A spokesperson for ECF on behalf of the Crescent partnership said: “Salford City Council approved the Crescent strategic master programme and delivery plan on Monday 26 April.
“All partners have a sign-off process that they are currently working through. Once these have concluded over the coming weeks, we will provide a full statement [of intent].”
In an interview with Place North West this week, Salford City Council’s new chief executive Tom Stannard, who took up the reins in February, described the Crescent project as “phenomenal”.
“It could be one of Greater Manchester’s signature schemes in the medium term,” he said.
Ahhh yet another way to cause congestion in and out of the city. Cause yet more pollution from standing traffic. One day all these suits in charge might get a knock on the head and realise 99% of people travel by car, that’s not going to stop no matter how hard they try to make it… Ridicules waste of money…
By anon
The crescent would be great if they actually used more than one lane of that rather wide road to enable drivers to get into the city centre. There are no trams, bus service other than the V1 is rubbish and choking every thing down on either side is not going to help fill all those nice shiny offices in New Bailey and Spinningfields as you come into or out off the city.
By Anonymous
Where are the cars???
By Observer
This is so exciting to me. Might I lodge a plea for the Salford Meadows bridge to go forward with the master plan. Tonkin Liu was the worthy winner of the design competition years ago, & the scheme deserves to be carried forward in this commendable master plan.
By Phil Griffin
More traffic for regent road and surrounding areas
By Liam
Oh my god, will this council never learn? All this glorious plan will do is cause greater congestion around the other routes into Manchester, thereby causing greater pollution from standing traffic. No matter what this wasteful council and its equally idiotic neighbour Manchester do, drivers will not be forced out of their cars onto the abysmal public transport. Trafford Centre must be loving this.
By Doug Hall
Remember when the crescent was 3 lanes all flowing nicely? Certain people go on about fumes & the ozone layer etc but force all the cars to sit stationery for hours rather than get to their destination and switch off. Mental
By Philthy
Yayyyy
Make sure Metrolink goes down chapel st and joins up to Victoria. Don’t like the comment, “connecting it to Salford Quays” we don’t want that trundling one way journey
By Local Resident
Amazing scheme and very forward looking – we’ll not need as much road space when more people share rides in autonomous vehicles, use enhanced public transport and choose to work part of their week at home.
This will rapidly become a great and green place to live; enhancing residents wellbeing (especially if the build bridge into the meadow)…
By SEA
Jam tomorrow again and probably never happen
By John Ashurst
After the disastrous previous crescent “upgrade” resulted in constant standing traffic and acres of pavement. With little or no improvement to alternative routes or public transport, (except the V buses that are completely full before Swinton because all other services using the East Lancs corridor were reduced or cancelled) , A580 traffic had no choice but to sit for 45mins to travel 500 yards. Not great for pollution or potential investors. The image above seems to have forgotten the tens of thousands of cars that use the crescent everyday, or perhaps this is the final phase of completely isolating Salford from Manchester? The A580 is still a very important arterial route into Manchester city centre. Perhaps planners just want to push traffic jams further back to Frederick Road?
By Bernard Fender
I think you are seeing why integrated transit is so important – we won’t be able to achieve this kind of urbanism without modal shift
By Rich X