Pomona Island masterplan dusted off after four-year pause
Peel Waters is readying an outline planning application for the 25-acre site, which could feature 2,600 homes and 750,000 sq ft of office space in buildings up to 35 storeys.
The transformation of Pomona Island, a largely vacant swathe of land located between the Bridgewater Canal and Manchester Ship Canal west of Manchester city centre is intended to be delivered over a 15-year period up to 2041.
According to documents submitted to Trafford Council this week, the project could feature 750,000 sq ft of offices, 2,600 homes including student beds, 100 care beds, and up to 200 hotel rooms.
Around 12 acres of the site, branded as Manchester Waters, are earmarked for public realm and open space, including a five-acre park.
The overarching vision for the site remains largely unchanged from 2021 when Peel last unveiled plans for Pomona Island. At that time it was expected a masterplan would be drafted by 2022 following public consultation but no plans were lodged.
Leigh Thomas, development director at Peel Waters, said: “We are excited to bring forward our plans for the next phases of Manchester Waters, which will open up the site to the public for the first time in decades.
“The masterplan is landscape-led, with the creation of new parks and recreation space at its heart. We also feel it’s important to keep some of Pomona Island’s unique character, so some of the best existing areas of nature and green space will be retained and enhanced.”
He added: “The site also provides a fantastic opportunity to deliver the new homes that Trafford and Greater Manchester needs, on brownfield land in a highly sustainable location. With support from partners and stakeholders, over 1,000 more new homes, for people of all incomes and ages, could be completed at Manchester Waters in the next five years.
“We are therefore pleased to submit the EIA scoping request today as it marks another significant step towards delivering the vision for Manchester Waters, and we look forward to sharing our plans with the community and launching our public consultation this summer.”
Peel is working with Turley, Jon Matthews Architects, and Re-form Landscape Architecture on the plans for Pomona Island, which has long been considered one of the city region’s most attractive development opportunities.
To date, progress on the creation of a masterplan has been slow; only a two projects have been delivered on the site, the first phase of X1’s Manchester Waters, and Pomona Wharf, a build-to-rent scheme next to St George’s Island that completed in 2017.
Peel also has permission for Pomona Wharf phase two, a 157-apartment project.
Pomona Island, which is also known as Manchester Waters, is one of Peel Waters’ seven waterfront regeneration schemes across England and Scotland. Overall they comprise 30,000 homes and 10m sq ft of commercial space.
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Anyone but Peel please. Pomona is a once in a lifetime opportunity for greater Manchester which requires a co-ordinated approach – e.g. via a Mayoral Development Corporation. The render suggests what Peel are planning is 2005-esque outdated architecture and outdated urban planning principles. And still no bridge to Cornbrook – which would be common sense for most cities.
By Anonymous
Still missing a bridge connecting Pomona to Ordsall!
By Anonymous
Would much rather have taller and more interesting towers along with a significantly larger linear green space which follows the riverside
By Anonymous
Looks more promising than the schemes which bookend the site
By Bradford
Glad to see this restart, just please no more repeats of the architectural masterpiece that is Pomona Wharf!
By Rich
So sad that this is owned by Peel.
In an alternative timeline this could have included significant public realm…a Mayfield esque park… working with the grain of canals and linking in castlefield to Trafford. Instead it will no doubt be VE’d to smithereens and populated by yet more barnacles like that hideous scheme at the eastern access
By Don cheglioni
Always thought this would make a great temporary home to the houses of parliament whilst being refurbished.
By Greg Chatfield
No doubt someone has lit a match under it.
By Anonymous
Jon Matthews architects? If what he has done in Manchester is anything to go by, I fear the worst.
By Mike
Boring, bland, predictable, uninspiring, architecture. There’s absolutely nothing exciting about this proposal. It’s another Peel copy and paste proposal, this time for Pomona.
Looking at the proposal, apart from living there, what else is there in the proposal to attract Mancunians, visitors and tourists to Pomona, if this Is built? Absolutely nothing!
Pomona should be a go to destination for people. A place that attracts people with things to see and do, as well a living and work there. Instead Peel will cram as many mid-rise apartment blocks, 7 in a row, 1 after another, a few bland looking towers, and a small park right at the end of Pomona. Wow! How original.
Once again, Peel are missing the opportunity to create a genuine go to destination with a mixture exciting architecture, culture, entertainment, and leisure, with things to see and do.
By jrb
It was extremely underwhelming 4 years ago and it’s certainly not got any better.
By Anonymous
Why couldn’t this have been a different developer. It’s probably got the most potential in Manchester and could link up the City and Quays amazingly with some creativity. The above is just not that. And 15 years – Jesus. At least they are cracking on with the big Trafford Waters plan hahaha
By Bob
‘Landscape led’ but no footbridge for ver to the other side?
By Anonymous
Only 35 floors?? Jheez this spot could be the Canary Wharf of the north, need to utilise this beautiful space whilst we can and push it for tourism, business and homes like Canary Wharf. It should have sky scrapers for business and homes as well as water front restaurants/cafes.
By Anonymous
Peel seem to be allergic to the idea of making money across all the pies they’ve got fingers in – lack of capital?
By H
Please peel, do the right thing and sell the whole site to someone who’ll do it justice
By Cry me a River
What is the timidity around developing this to a high standard? This has everything, water, space, close proximity to Central Manchester and the Quays and yet again, a bland, uninspiring, group of medium sized boxes.
By Elephant
I have always thought this would make a beautiful park which is what the city is missing! Great links to it!
By Anonymous
A bridge connecting Cornbrook tram station to Ordsall is an absolute must and already overdue.
By Daniel
Ref. No: 116792/EIASCO/25
By Ben White
Would be great to get this area developed. I was hoping for more parkland, which they could achieve here with higher buildings. As others have been saying, there needs to be another pedestrian bridge as well
By EOD
This is in a MUCH better location (Transport links, etc) for Super-Towers than Regent Road Retail Park. Go Higher!
By Sam
Not enough green space and no footbridge. Towers not ambitious enough. Don’t care if it’s indicative, it’s not good enough and Mancunians are sick of being told it will get better. Give it to someone else Peel.
By Anonymous
“The masterplan is landscape-led, with the creation of new parks and recreation space at its heart. We also feel it’s important to keep some of Pomona Island’s unique character, so some of the best existing areas of nature and green space will be retained and enhanced.”…
And yet none of this is reflected in the above scheme… Most importantly the site needs better pedestrian connections to its surroundings.
With regards to the architecture – really hope the proposals are not going to be the generic, lacking identity buildings that unfortunately can be seen around Manchester. A proper wind tunnel analysis would be key as the recent high-rise buildings create massive wind tunnels that render the ‘green spaces’ around unusable…
Good luck Pomona!
By Anonymous
Those towers should be 3 times the height!
By MC
Good luck finding the power to run that from the creaking local network…
By Anonymouse
Does it include a cycle route between Throstle Nest Bridge and Waterways Avenue or Cornbrook Road?
By Gum
Really think this should be landscaped as a Central Park style quality open space, with footbridges to it, to serve all the high rise new development around it.
By urbanista
@1.04am by H I really doubt Peel are allergic to the idea of making money given what they’ve accumulated to date. There’s a finite nature to land as a resource and they are a landowner. I suspect timing, risk, opportunity and maximising value is a consideration, not lack of capital
By M Twain
landscape-led? 🤣
By Anonymous
Needs to maximise waterfront green space/public realm and a footbridge to both Cornbrook and Ordsall Hall. Failure to deliver this will be a massive opportunity wasted
By MJC
at 3:24 pm By M Twain
Media City phase 2, Trafford Waters, Pomona, Cotton Quay and Anchorage are all huge scheme. 4 of which have been stalled for a considerable length of time. Each requires a lot of thought. I just don’t feel Peel can take all of these on and do them justice
By MJC
Could be a huge park green space and opportunity for sports close to city centre. Mayfield plans mean an opportunity wasted for larger green space, Ancoats wasting opportunity on former retail park, but this feels like a huge loss. As a runner I’m bias (but i do appreciate other sport/activity exist) but this could be a battersea park of the north where people can train race but also have the perfect gateway into mcr from Salford
By Builder
What a waste in terms of storeys. There’s an opportunity to create a tiered skyline, rising up to a ~70 storey focal point statement building.
By Tom
Peel will not build, I don’t know why people think they do – they will sell the plot to an actual developer! That’s what they do. They masterplan it then sell bits off like at Liverpool with Romal etc. Peel have not had much success in ‘building’ things of late and have been bitten – Pro Group paper mill etc springs to mind.
By Bob Dawson
I agree, a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I wonder if it could work if the developers had a look at the Lancaster canal and took on board some ideas:
The canal cruises are popular and people can get off and eat and drink at some decent old pubs. Some nice places along that stretch like Bilsborrow or Garstang. If various locations along the Salford and Manchester waterways were developed, they could become an attractive feature for locals and tourists.
Just an idea.
By MrP
@MJC I think Peel only have interest/ownership in two of the schemes you mention
By H Finn
Bring back “The Boat”!
By Anonymous
interested to see if the castlefield viaduct will link with pomona island eventually. Would make a much nicer walking/cycling route between deansgate castlefield and cornbrook
By Levelling Up Manager
It must be depressing for the design team knowing that none of this will ever happen.
By Anonymous
Everyone moaning about these plans have you actually taken the time to read the planning docs? 60% of this development is public realm space with parks, sports areas, waterfront walks etc so it clearly looks like it is landscape led.. people just moan about these projects any chance they get
By JC
By coincidence my RSPB magazine arrived today and it informs me that there is a thriving bird population in the area. Kingfishers, herons and even a flock of the handsome Goosanders on the Victorian steps on Pomona Island.
I can’t see any mention of wildlife in this article or among the many comments posted. I presume this will be a consideration in this proposed development?
By Stewart Smith