Peel fleshes out Pomona Island vision 

The developer has unveiled early proposals for the redevelopment of the site into a mixed-use community featuring 2,700 homes.

Covering almost 25 acres of currently underdeveloped brownfield land, Peel L&P’s Pomona Island has long been considered a prime area for redevelopment.  

The complex swathe of land sits between the Bridgewater Canal and Manchester Ship Canal west of the city centre, straddling Trafford, Salford and Manchester local authority areas.

Progress on the creation of a masterplan has been slow. To date only a two projects have been delivered on the site, the first phase of X1’s 750-home Manchester Waters, and Pomona Wharf, a build-to-rent scheme next to St George’s Island that completed in 2017. 

Last week Peel L&P lodged plans for 162 apartments within the masterplan area. 

Now, the developer, working with Jon Matthews Architects and Turley, has outlined its intentions for the rest of Pomona Island, which feature 2,700 homes and a 5.2-acre waterfront park. 

Overall, around 60% of the site would be given over to public realm and green space, according to Peel.

A network of new footpaths and cycleways would aim to promote sustainable travel, while land under the railway arches also form part of the proposals and include plans to create outdoor sports facilities and play areas.  

The 15-year proposals follow the principles of a 2020 masterplan, agreed by Trafford Council, and form the basis of an outline planning application to be submitted in Spring 2022. 

A range of public consultation events on the plans is expected early next year. 

James Whittaker, Peel L&P’s executive director for development, said: “Nestled between two famous canals, Manchester Waters has one of the most unique locations out of any our Peel Waters regenerations schemes and we’ve taken that into careful consideration to develop a green vision for the site which will go to public consultation early next year. 

“This vision has nature at its heart by improving public access to the beautiful canals with a new park and open spaces bringing many health and wellbeing benefits to residents, commuters and families.”  

Cllr James Wright, Trafford Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, added: “This exciting masterplan supports a number of our commitments including the building of more homes and developing a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future for our communities.” 

Pomona Island, which is also known as Manchester Waters, is one of Peel L&P’s seven waterfront regeneration schemes across England and Scotland under its newly named Peel Waters portfolio. Overall they comprise 30,000 homes and 10m sq ft of commercial space.