Partner wanted for Middlewood Locks hotel

With the first two phases of the £1bn Salford scheme complete, developers Scarborough Group International, Metro Holdings, and Hualing Group are turning their attention to the delivery of a 250-bed hotel.

The consortium is working with Graham Sibbald partners Hugh Anderson and Martin Davis to find a collaborator – be it a hotel fund, brand, operator, or fellow developer – to turn the proposed hotel into reality.

As part of the £1bn Middlewood Locks masterplan, outline consent is already in place for a 270,000 sq ft hotel of up to 25 storeys.

A brochure for the hotel opportunity touts the 119m visitors who come to Manchester each year and describes the city as having the largest hotel market in the country outside of London.

Middlewood Locks sits on the Salford side of the River Irwell, off Trinity Way and within walking distance of Manchester city centre.

Its first two phases comprised 1,117 homes, all of which have since completed and sold. A third phase, the 189-home Railings development, is set to complete next month.

The hotel is just one aspect of SGI, Metro Holdings, and Hualing Group’s plans for the 25-acre site. The group hopes to deliver an additional 909 homes and 1m sq ft of commercial space in future phases. The goal is to start on the residential aspect of this in the first quarter of 2026.

Middlewood Locks is not just all buildings – it includes five acres of public realm and open space.