Salford and Manchester ready to rubber-stamp 7,000-home joint vision
Salford City Council will be first to adopt the 320-acre framework mapping out the regeneration of Strangeways and Cambridge Industrial Estate as a material planning consideration next Tuesday, with Manchester City Council following the next day.
After a period of public consultation on the Strangeways/Cambridge strategic regeneration framework earlier this year, the document is now ready for adoption, signaling a major step forward for the redevelopment of one of the city region’s most challenged areas.
The SRF has been drawn up by Avison Young alongside Maccreanor Lavington, Feilden Clegg Bradley, Schulze-Grassov, Civic Engineers, Useful Projects, and Placed.
It incorporates both Manchester’s Strangeways district and Salford’s Cambridge Industrial Estate.
The SRF represents a cross-border approach to regeneration and a joint strategy to address the area’s long-standing social and environmental issues.
As well as up to 7,000 homes in buildings up to 30 storeys, the SRF sets out a vision for a 60-acre park in Salford called Copper Park designed to mitigate against the risk of floods in the future. Some 3.1m sq ft of new or improved commercial space is also planned.
The councils have long recognised the growth potential of the area, which is located on the fringes of Manchester city centre, where demand for both homes and commercial space is high.
Perhaps the biggest issue facing the area is the presence of HMP Manchester.
The prison has long been thought of as a barrier to the area’s growth and Manchester City Council has asked the Ministry of Justice to relocate it elsewhere. As yet, the MoJ has not obliged.
Due to a lack of movement on the relocation plans, the SRF has be drawn up with the prison in situ. However, the SRF acknowledges the scale of the opportunity around the prison should it ever move.
The SRF in brief
- HMP Manchester & Jury Street: A catalytic neighbourhood at the heart of the SRF. Home of the existing HMP Manchester with potential for long term change subject to the relocation of the prison.
- Derby Street: An intensified business district, supported to ensure the long-term preservation and evolution of the business base in the area.
- Copper Park: A regional destination, multi-functional open space delivered to create positive amenity and biodiversity in response to future flood risk.
- Overbridge: Gateway to Copper Park from the city centre, an area of significant residential potential – up to 2,000 homes – but with important economic assets and heritage.
- Cheetham Park: A new urban-suburban residential neighbourhood of up to 1,000 homes, building on the heritage of the Victorian Cheetham Park and the nascent residential community around it.
- Dutton Street: The Dutton Street area is a natural extension of the city centre. Subject to the existing Great Ducie Street SRF, it is identified as residential-led mixed use area – up to 4,000 homes – where significant development and investment is already evident. This part of the SRF could accommodate 1.75m sq ft of new commercial space
- Lord Street: A transitional neighbourhood, connecting the residential-led change in Dutton Street with the economic focus of Derby Street to the north, and with Red Bank and Victoria North to the east.
