http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/2772487888_b4e77d5499_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2772488136_386daf6675_o.jpg

habitat 67 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_67

snap?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Habitat_67_in_winter.jpg/800px-Habitat_67_in_winter.jpg

Mediacity should boost that placing even further.

From Crains.

Salford jumps 44 places in biz competitiveness survey

Salford has been named as the fourth most-improved UK city for business competitiveness in a survey conducted by the Centre for International Competitiveness.

The survey, carried out by the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff using data spanning the past two years, found that Salford had moved up a massive 44 places to 199 out of 407 localities in the UK, according to what it offered to growing business and entrepreneurs.

Using indicators such as economic activity, business start-up rates, employment rates and GCSE results, it showed that Salford has shown significant improvement comparable with the city of Liverpool and the London Borough of Greenwich.

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company — the public-private partnership set up in 2005 with a target of attracting £550m of private sector investment and 10,000 jobs to Salford by 2020, said:

“We have worked tirelessly, with our partners, to ensure Salford is recognised as one of the most desirable places to both live and do business in the UK. Our target now is to attract £4 billion of private investment and 30,000 jobs to the city by 2020 and with over half that amount already committed we are confident we can achieve that level of investment.”

^^oh yeah, that's what the page 3 FT article was about.

Tsk Tsk if you can drag yourself away from Amnesty International's report on the UAE.

He means this.

North-west leads way for business
By John Willman, Business Editor

Published: September 3 2008 00:06 | Last updated: September 3 2008 00:06

Britain’s north-western cities have significantly increased their attractiveness as places to do business in recent years, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

The resurgence of cities such as Salford, Manchester and Liverpool has led to jumps in their ratings in the annual UK Competitiveness Index, which ranks 407 local areas, according to what they offer to growing businesses and entrepreneurs.

EDITOR’S CHOICE
Case study: Salford becomes symbol of renaissance - Sep-03Small businesses advised to shun experts - Sep-02Trade groups call for support measures - Sep-01Legislation helps sustain growth at Latchways - Sep-01Business berates Labour on ‘big issues’ - Aug-25Leap in inquiries on how to sack staff - Aug-25After 20 years of government-funded regeneration programmes, the most successful areas have attracted businesses by improving the qualifications of school-leavers, raising skill levels and helping unemployed people back into the workforce. They have also worked to attract knowledge-based industries and encourage entrepreneurship – increasing incomes and output per head.

In the north-west, much of the improvement has been led by the regional development agency, which has targeted digital and creative industries, attracting organisations such as the BBC to Salford and Playbox, the video gaming company, to Liverpool. It offers support on training and infrastructure, as well as helping improve quality of life in the region by supporting initiatives such as Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture.

The survey, carried out by the Centre for International Competitiveness at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, comes just weeks after a Conservative think-tank recommended abandoning attempts to regenerate northern cities and promoting migration to the south.

Urban warriors
Top 15 cities in 2006-08 for improving their competitiveness, (excluding London)
1 Durham
2 Leicester
3 Norwich
4= Liverpool
4= Salford
6 Peterborough
7= York
7= Dundee
7= Plymouth
10 Gloucester
11 Derby
12 Wakefield
13 Manchester
14= Aberdeen
14= Coventry
Source: Centre for International Competitiveness


Professor Robert Huggins, who has compiled the index since 2000, said further migration to the south would only accentuate existing problems. “Our research strongly suggests that urban development in the UK is achieving a significant degree of success.”

The competitiveness index rates local areas on measures such as research and development expenditure, the workforce’s educational and training qualifications, business start-up rates and the number of businesses per 1,000 inhabitants.

Regional and local development agencies outside the most prosperous south-east have been investing billions of pounds to improve their competitiveness on such measures in efforts to narrow the north-south divide.

But the greatest improvement in competitiveness since 2006 has been in Newham. The east London borough will be at the centre of the 2012 London Olympic Games and has already benefited from public investment in the preparations.

The second biggest riser is Darlington in the north-east of England, which has sharply improved the skills of its workforce and raised the number of business start-ups per 1,000 inhabitants by more than 10 per cent. New businesses include Argos, whose home delivery distribution centre employs 600, and Infoserve, which employs 185 people on helping small businesses market their services online.

Other cities to have climbed the league table since 2006 include York and Durham in the north-east, Derby and Leicester in the east Midlands, Norwich in East Anglia and Plymouth in the south-west.

The most competitive city outside London is Guildford, followed by St Albans and Cambridge. The least competitive cities are Hull, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Swansea – though all but Swansea have improved their position since 2006.

The least competitive regional economy is the north-east, followed by Wales, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire & Humber. However, Northern Ireland has strengthened its competitiveness since 2006, as its economy has become more robust following the peace settlement.

London is the most competitive region, but the north-west has jumped two places in the regional league table, largely due to the improved performance of Liverpool, Manchester and Salford. The east and West Midlands regions have also shown improvements in competitiveness since 2006, while Scotland has dropped two places having shown little improvement.

Gains by urban areas appear to have been at the expense of rural economies. The Orkney Islands, mid-Devon and west Somerset have fallen most since 2006, and the least competitive localities in the survey were Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales and Easington in the north-east.

Coastal towns such as Bournemouth, Poole and Torbay have improved in response to regeneration policies in the seaside towns. “Increased efforts are required to explore how the competitiveness of rural economies can be improved in coming years,” said Prof Huggins. If these localities were allowed to decline further, it could harm the competitiveness of the economy.

The competitiveness index suggests that the way public finance is allocated to regions needed an overhaul, the survey concludes. The so-called “Barnett formula”, which gives Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland more more public spending per head than the English regions, was not improving the competitiveness of the worst performing areas.

“A far more realistic option is for government to ensure that the public finance received by regions is based on the needs required to improve their future competitiveness rather than past spending patterns and population levels,” Prof Huggins said.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

Longy

Fort Ardwick!!!!!!!!!!!!:

No no no!! Forgot about that dump of cac coloured concrete.

Recalls returning home to Manchester and been welcomed by that cage for the proles.

As well as the days when the 210 bus to Denton always seemed to be damp and wet at your feet as if you were sitting in a spring meadow. Except this meadow was surrounded by cigarette smoke from "bad lads" from Gorton.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_hfmMw4r7eQc/RfhzOHbK8tI/AAAAAAAAAfU/6uQSC4AO0DI/s400/luganob.jpg

From Place North West.

Central Salford sets fresh investment target of £4bn by 2020
12 September 2008, 11:40


Urban regeneration company Central Salford has markedly revised its target for attracting private sector investment into its catchment area from £550m to £4bn by the end of the next decade.

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford, said: "We have surpassed our original target of attracting £550m of private sector investment into the area by 2020. This is already on site. We have now set our sights far higher with a target of attracting £4bn of private sector investment to Central Salford by 2020."

Farrow was addressing an audience of public and private regeneration and property professionals at the Lowry at Central Salford's annual Investing in Regeneration event, bringing them up to date on projects such as:

Peel Holdings' Media City UK, rising out of the ground in Salford Quays at a construction cost of £5m a month
Irwell City Park, where Bruntwood helped fund the recent acquisition of a surface car park from Guardian Media Group on the riverside
Chapel Street area, with development partner English Cities Fund, Compulsory Purchase Orders will be required but no date is set for serving them
Greengate by Ask and Network Rail, stalling due to the credit crunch but subject to talks with English Partnerships to bring forward public realm. Whitelaw Turkington, Arup appointed to design public realm, linkages.
The event panel was chaired by Felicity Goodey, chairman, Central Salford URC. On the panel: Andrew Simpson, managing director, Peel Holdings; Barbara Spicer, chief executive, Salford City Council; Ken Knott, chief executive, Ask Developments; Les Brown, regional director, Countryside Properties; Peter Crowther, development director, Bruntwood; Simon Ashdown, development director, LPC Living.

Spicer, concluding the proceedings, said the regeneration of the past few years was already paying dividends for the city and the public and private sector needed to hold its nerve to keep the regeneration of Salford "truly sustainable and genuinely aspirational".

Investing in Regeneration was sponsored by Urban Vision and Pannone LLP.

From Crains.

Re-development of Deva Centre in Salford in works


Belfast-based developers Four Two Four, a subsidiary of Benmore Developments, is understood to be in talks with Salford City Council over plans to re-develop the Deva Centre on Trinity Way into a 300,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme.

Four Two Four bought the Deva Centre — on the edge of Manchester city centre — from the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund for £13.5m last October. It also owns the Staples store next door, which will be part of the proposed redevelopment.

re-re-development. nice. :)

From Crains.

Re-development of Deva Centre in Salford in works


Belfast-based developers Four Two Four, a subsidiary of Benmore Developments, is understood to be in talks with Salford City Council over plans to re-develop the Deva Centre on Trinity Way into a 300,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme.

Four Two Four bought the Deva Centre — on the edge of Manchester city centre — from the Greater Manchester Property Venture Fund for £13.5m last October. It also owns the Staples store next door, which will be part of the proposed redevelopment.

Where about on Triinity Way is this?

Where about on Triinity Way is this?

M3 7BF

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2844DevaCentre_pic3.jpg

They wont be touching that lovely old building during this redevelopment will they?

Cheers comdot.

From Crains.

HMP Forest Bank to be extended
By Michael Fahy


Agecroft Prison Management Services, the PFI company responsible for HMP Forest Bank prison in Salford, has awarded a £32m contract to extend the facility and add another 232 cells to Berkshire-based construction firm Interserive.

The prison, which was built under a PFI contyract on the site of the former Agecroft Colliery in 1999, is a category B prison which currently has around 800 cells operated by management firm Kalyx. The extension will add two new wings, together with extra education and prisoner support facilities, an extension to the main prison kitchen, improvements to the visitor reception centre and extended visits area plus further physical activity space for prisoners.

Construction will begin immediately, with the houseblock accommodation ready for occupation in November 2009.

Kalyx’s managing director, Tony Leech, said: “We have enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Interserve and are very happy to be working with them on this project.”

News from Salford i feel should be reported.

1. The southern of the two white pendleton blocks just south of the market now has a glass, cheap, nasty-bizzare penthouse thing, and a horrible red strip. I assume the same will happen to the other. You can see the work going on in this pic (not mine)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2887996993_2b4b0fb688_b.jpg

2. On Langworthy road, the small terrace of large edwardian houses between the school and the clinic (that have for some time been derelict) are now being demolished.

2. On Langworthy road, the small terrace of large edwardian houses between the school and the clinic (that have for some time been derelict) are now being demolished.

There was a nice date stone on the gable of that block - 1897 i think. Probably been skipped!:ohno:

1. The southern of the two white pendleton blocks just south of the market now has a glass, cheap, nasty-bizzare penthouse thing, and a horrible red strip. I assume the same will happen to the other. You can see the work going on in this pic (not mine)

chek whyte industries. the planning app has been posted on the forum somewhere. can't remember exactly what the plan was, student flats maybe.

from another thread

the chek whyte industries development

#07/55625/FUL
http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/p...=JR6JP3NP00400
Date Application Received: 29/10/2007

Rose Hill Court/Churchill Court
Rosehill Close
Salford
M6 5JW

Erection of additional storey of accommodation to each building comprising a gym and three apartments, alterations to elevations comprising new cladding and provision of new entrance lobby
Chek Whyte Industries

same site, prior application but by the council:

# 07/55351/COU
http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/p...=JO05JKNP00B00

Rose Hill Court/Churchill Court
Salford
M6 5JW

Conversion of the buildings to create one and two bedroom apartments, providing 44 no. additional apartments in each building.

Can't find the original thread. Another proposal moves forward.

From Place North West.

NWDA funding triggers Irwell City Park design
5 December 2008, 14:18

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/assets/_files/cached/img/400x296.02032176122/dec_08/pnw__1228486464_Irwell_City_Park_PERSPECTIVE_R.jpg

The proposed waterfront Irwell City Park along the river bordering Trafford, Salford and Manchester has been granted £1.1m from the North West Development Agency and partner councils for planning and design work.

The Irwell City Park vision is being delivered by Central Salford urban regeneration company, Salford City Council, Manchester City Council, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, the NWDA and private sector partners.

The project team will now appoint project managers, a design team and cost consultants to undertake all detailed design and technical assessments for the section of the project, which connects Media City UK and the Quays to Greengate and Victoria Street.

The project promises new walkways, bridges, cycleways and riverside community spaces, providing a backdrop for additional investment in new homes and employment

The project is scheduled to be completed in April 2010.

positive stuff

I bet Morrisons are chuffed. Eccles is a ghost town as it is. With the addition of Tesco's you mighT as well drop hundreds of tumbleweeds on the place.

New Tesco to create 400 jobs
Neal Keeling
23/ 1/2009

A NEW Tesco store will create 400 jobs at a struggling retail park.

West One, in Eccles, cost £53m to build and opened in November 2001.

But many of the 17 retail units have stood empty after firms including Gap and Adams closed their stores and no new tenants were found.

Developer PBN Holdings, owners of the shopping centre, hopes Tesco will spearhead a revival of the centre and boost the Eccles economy.

The town centre has suffered in recent years despite getting a £750,000 bus station, a Metrolink terminus, and a Morrisons superstore.

Morrisons has prospered but other stores on the main precinct have not benefited with shoppers travelling to the store via the Metrolink or by car.

PBN Holdings is proposing a new footbridge across the busy Gilda Brook Road into Eccles and a Tesco Extra store on the site.

It hopes to claw back customers being lost to the Trafford Centre, a little over a mile away.

The new store will be only slightly smaller than Morrisons just 300 yards from West One.

Patrick Kearney, of PBN said: "This £30m investment will not only transform West One, it will also provide a major boost for local employment and help to prevent the current leakage of customer spending from Eccles."

The 8,214sqm Tesco will create about 400 permanent jobs. A recruitment scheme will target the long-term unemployed, with help and advice given on making the application and interview skills. Those who complete a six-week training programme will be guaranteed a job.

Tesco Regeneration Partnership stores focus on improving numeracy and literacy and provide opportunities for lone parents, older people who have been made redundant, people who have never worked before and those with disabilities.

Deborah Hayeems, of Tesco, said: "In these tough conditions we feel our Regeneration Partnership is more important than ever. In a climate where many people are worried about job security, we are delighted to be creating further employment."

The plans can be viewed at www.the-extra-connection. co.uk

only 8,214sqm? that's... surely... only about 100 times more grocery space than all of eccles' family owned shops combined? i thought the norm for tesco entries into towns was more like 25,000 million times. i mean, come on, eight thousand square metres. that's a bit pokey. people will be forced to actually use existing shops in eccles. zero eccles shops will close. this will be great for eccles.















not.

Outline application in this week's advertiser or a 6 storey aparthotel at the carpark on Bloom Street (Drum Developments.)

Outline application in this week's advertiser or a 6 storey aparthotel at the carpark on Bloom Street (Drum Developments.)

The entire car park? Isn't that the big one?

The entire car park? Isn't that the big one?

Its Bloom Street Salford, not Manchester. Off Chapel Street, Not a large car park, however it is used by residents of City Point as contract parking. Going to be mayhem round there for parking, its bad enough now!

Its Bloom Street Salford, not Manchester. Off Chapel Street, Not a large car park, however it is used by residents of City Point as contract parking. Going to be mayhem round there for parking, its bad enough now!

:lol::lol::lol:

I clicked on the thread and didn't read the title.......

:bash:

Sorry, i'll close the door on my way out.

From the MEN:

Nelson will not be sunk
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1094099_nelson_will_not_be_sunk)
Neal Keeling
February 02, 2009

http://m.gmgrd.co.uk/res/666.$plit/C_71_article_1094099_image_list_image_list_item_0_image.jpg?01%2F02%2F2009%2018%3A14%3A20%3A714

YE OLDE Nelson pub will not be sunk despite demolition gangs moving in next door.

The landmark pub in Chapel Street, Salford, has been a burnt-out shell since it was badly damaged by fire in 2004.

The premises have now been fenced off along with derelict former Kristina Harrison Solicitors office and grocery store in the same block.

But the new owners of the pub insist it will be saved.

It has been acquired by English Cities Fund a partnership tasked with developing a master plan for the entire Chapel Street corridor.

Phil Mayall, senior development surveyor with Muse Developments, part of the ECF partnership, said: "We have been acquiring parcels of land in the area so that it can be developed as a whole rather than in a piecemeal fashion.

"We aim to demolish the buildings next to the Nelson. We have spent a time and money on an engineer and established it is structurally separate from the properties next door.

"At this stage we do not know how it will be developed but it will be retained, cleaned up, and made safe and secure.

"We need to bring some life into Chapel Street and we need a mix of homes and commercial properties.

Positive

"This is a positive step forward - clearing away buildings that are no longer to be used."

In the summer plans for the entire street are due to be unveiled by ECF. Working with the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company the partnership has a vision for the street which will mirror the glitz of Manchester city centre across the River Irwell. Tree-lined boulevards and cafes and shops would go up with new homes - town houses as well as apartments.

In 2005 Leeds-based company, Hightop Developments, was granted outline planning permission to build a multi-million pound six-storey apartment block called The Admiralty next to the pub. The plan was to keep the original frontage of the Nelson and refurbish it extensively.

But planning permission lapsed after the company failed to come up with details of environmental improvements which were a condition of planning permission.

The ornate pub was built in 1899 on the site of a pub which had opened for business in 1805, the year Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson died as his fleet defeated the French and Spanish.

When it closed in 2003 it had many of its original fittings. The first Nelson Tavern used to brew its own beer.

Outline application in this week's advertiser or a 6 storey aparthotel at the carpark on Bloom Street (Drum Developments.)

Planning app, docs are online (http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?keyval=KDGHPHNP00400&searchtype=PROPERTY&module=P3):

Application Reference: 09/57298/OUT (http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?keyval=KDGHPHNP00400&searchtype=PROPERTY&module=P3)

Address of Proposal: Car Park Bloom Street Salford

Proposal: Outline planning application for the erection of a six storey serviced apartment/aparthotel scheme comprising 80 rooms with 245 sq.m of commercial (B1/A3/A4) space and 48 car parking spaces

Type of Application: Outline Application

They have been threatening to sort out Chapel Street for at least 6 years now. In the mean time it still looks shit and is getting shitter.

It's a sorry sight isn't it, but the potential offered, is greater than the current state of neglect & I (blindly) believe that they will deliver. It's a romantic vision, that will include a high quality evolution of Middlewood Locks.

The best architectural quality on Chapel St, is equal to anything in Manchester City Centre proper IMO. The seeds are being sown:

One of the two Salford stations has been completed and the other awaits the final funding and final nod from the say-soers. The uni is looking better, and the Art Gallery and civic buildings are still there. The canal has been completed at Middlewood Locks and looks a great start. Spinnigfields, helps in part to bridge the gap between the 'developed' and the 'undeveloped'.

With Media City, Salford will hopefully gather the clout to encourage occupiers to be brave enough to take a chance on Chapel St & once one comes, they will follow in droves.

.... romantic vision, or 15 years from now?

It's a brilliant street waiting to happen. Chapel street partnership could do a lot worse than taking west street / division street in sheffield as a model - town at one end, university at the other, thousands of potential pedestrians between the two every day. They could borrow another idea from Sheffield too and invite salford students union to help fund the refurb of the nelson, run it and market it to get things started...

Saw demolishtion work this morning on Chapel Street on the right hand side driving into town. Does anyone know what is going on there?

Saw demolishtion work this morning on Chapel Street on the right hand side driving into town. Does anyone know what is going on there?

It's the old solicitors next door to the Ye Olde Nelson pub or whatever it's called.

It's good to see some of the nasty boarded up buildings get demolished, if you ask me. Shows something is happening there.

It's the old solicitors next door to the Ye Olde Nelson pub or whatever it's called.

It's good to see some of the nasty boarded up buildings get demolished, if you ask me. Shows something is happening there.

Pic from article in the MEN today:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1095433_mp_backs_bid_to_save_pub

http://m.gmgrd.co.uk/res/607.$plit/C_71_article_1095433_image_list_image_list_item_1_image.jpg?08%2F02%2F2009%2015%3A24%3A18%3A894

F@ck me its like Gorton in the eighties.

Everything gets demolished except the pubs. I never understood that and still dont.

I remember opposite the old Belle Vue stadium entrance all that was left was a couple of boozers. I suppose waiting for the regulars to die off before they too were scrapped.

One called the Travellers Rest, boldly had a notice declaring "Travellers Not Welcome,"

Lovely.

shame, that's a nice looking building, not in its present state maybe but use your imagination

F@ck me its like Gorton in the eighties.

Everything gets demolished except the pubs. I never understood that and still dont.

I remember opposite the old Belle Vue stadium entrance all that was left was a couple of boozers. I suppose waiting for the regulars to die off before they too were scrapped.

One called the Travellers Rest, boldly had a notice declaring "Travellers Not Welcome,"

Lovely.
Whaddayamean ? Not demolishing pubs would be very understandable to me. Unless you're inferring that with all the houses gone, there would be no people left to patronize them. They have been doing this for years in Manchester and Salford, since the slum clearances of the early sixties. People still went to them even if it meant travelling in from some out of town estate. The drink/driving laws were much laxer then of course.

Btw, one of those pubs across from Bellvue was managed by my mate's parents, it was a Thelfalls house I think. They took over another Threllies called the Waverley on Eccles New Rd near Langworthy Rd. in the seventies. If it's still there, it's probably standing alone with no houses around it...

They took over another Threllies called the Waverley on Eccles New Rd near Langworthy Rd. in the seventies. If it's still there, it's probably standing alone with no houses around it...

Went vacant in the late 90s - fire in the early 00's - demolished.
Lots of houses still there - full of the scum who burnt it down.

Is that the one that was next to the TA centre?

Is that the one that was next to the TA centre?

Yes - you are right. I'm thinking of the one a bit further up near the RSPCA.

The Waverley is/was a Chinese restaurant.

My nanna and grandad had their 50th wedding anniversary in there (when it was still The Waverley)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2671236748_609e589fb3.jpg?v=0

^^ sigh....got rat-arsed in there one Sat. afternoon and never had to put me hand in me pocket. Mate of the landlords son over from Canada an'all that...:cheers:.:cheers:.:cheers:. :cheers:.:cheers:.:cheers:.:cheers:....:puke:

I'm thinking of the one a bit further up near the RSPCA.


That was the Widow's Rest wasn't it? Used to go in pre-match at the Willows at times. Was one of the few pubs with a full size snooker table.

I thought this was an interesting piece of speculation:



Could the area between say the river and Salford University be emerging as a contender for the alternative capital of Greater Manchester?

With places like Islington Mill, Kings Arms and now Corridor the ingredients are all there - is it just a matter of time before the rest of us turn our backs on the Northern Quarter and look to this slice of Salford too?

http://www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/index.asp?Sessionx=IpqiNwy6JDTnJ0qiNwF6IHqi&realname=Corridor_bar_review


Let's face it, the Northern Quarter has had its day and it's about time the next up-and-coming part of town up-and- erm... came. So which area will it be? The Chapel Street corridor seems as likely as any.

Let's face it, the Northern Quarter has had its day and it's about time the next up-and-coming part of town up-and- erm... came. So which area will it be? The Chapel Street corridor seems as likely as any.

Those three businesses/enterprises are spread over quite a distance along Chapel Street, with a lot of regeneration needed along the way:

http://i42.tinypic.com/oh1s9w.jpg

That's not to say that these are not a catalyst for further change, however its going to take a while. 'Up & coming' is a term that I see can only really be applied in a buoyant economy, with speculators about willing to take risks on redevelopment.

A start would be improving the approaches to Chapel Street from the Manchester side, to improve its integration with the city centre. The Irwell City Park scheme may provide a boost to this.

The construction of the new Arts Council building in the Northern Quarter will only cement the area further as the 'creative hub' of Manchester.

I think a possible fall in rents along with the value of commercial property will be the saviour of many businesses who have either set up, or want to set up businesses in the NQ. In recent years it was becoming apparent that more might be driven out to areas like Chapel Street in order to get accessible rents, this may not be the case any more.

If rents do however become more & more inaccessible in the NQ, then definitely other areas like Chapel Street will benefit, but are businesses unable to set up in the NQ going to be more inclined to move out to the close reach of Ancoats, so they are still reasonably linked into the 'creative hub'?

Edit: With all the CPO activity in the area & the demolition of existing property on the Chapel Street corridor, are there enough commercial/retail properties around to support the growth of an 'alternative' quarter, until there is re-development good & proper, that are not going to be disrupted by future plans? Or is it a case of more places being opened in premises like Corridor bar, with unusual set-ups?

With all the CPO activity in the area & the demolition of existing property on the Chapel Street corridor, are there enough commercial/retail properties around to support the growth of an 'alternative' quarter, until there is re-development good & proper, that are not going to be disrupted by future plans?

I think you're probably right and that the next place to be will be towards Ancoats.

I just wish something could be done about the Salford part of the city centre though. The contrast when you cross the river really does highlight the rubbishness of Salford City Council.

"Could the area between say the river and Salford University be emerging as a contender for the alternative capital of Greater Manchester? "

With places like Islington Mill, Kings Arms and now Corridor the ingredients are all there - is it just a matter of time before the rest of us turn our backs on the Northern Quarter and look to this slice of Salford too?"

Personally Id thought it would have been Strangeways - the next step off from the NQ or Ancoats- for that, if that business model of low rents equals radical creativity.

And I would caution anything off taht website. I mean it isnt beyond my imagination to think a cunning developer would post that.

As Rusholme says there is a decade plus of development needed to address the rundown Salford side of the river. Lower Broughton is a collective eyesore with no soul.

Personally not sure there is enough money and enough radical creativity at the moment for such massive expansion.

maybe when the mosh kids outside the urbis graduate and mature, then maybe that will be there hacienda and NQ.....................

"Could the area between say the river and Salford University be emerging as a contender for the alternative capital of Greater Manchester? "

With places like Islington Mill, Kings Arms and now Corridor the ingredients are all there - is it just a matter of time before the rest of us turn our backs on the Northern Quarter and look to this slice of Salford too?"

Personally Id thought it would have been Strangeways - the next step off from the NQ or Ancoats- for that, if that business model of low rents equals radical creativity.

And I would caution anything off taht website. I mean it isnt beyond my imagination to think a cunning developer would post that.

Personally not sure there is enough money and enough radical creativity at the moment for such massive expansion.

maybe when the mosh kids outside the urbis graduate and mature, then maybe that will be there hacienda and NQ.....................

I expect that the next expansion is a movement of those priced out of the NQ into Ancoats and the Angel Meadow areas, with Strageways following sometime afterwards. Of course it is possible to have two creative hubs, and Chapel Street is well placed to become one. If I was Central Salford URC I'd be trying to get some student accomodation built on western Chapel Street. It provides a ready made audience for cheap innovative entertainment with a disposable income, a desire for casusal work, a load of free time and a commitment to having as much fun as possible.

Of course if we were to have more than one creative hub they would probably naturally adopt different functions. London has live Music in Camden, clubs in Shoreditch, advertising and media in Soho, visual arts in East London to name but a few. Now obviously Manchester wouldn't be so well served, but Chapel Street does look like a potentially good area for live music, Strangeways-to-Ancoats for arts and design (big industrial buildigns make great workshops and exhibition spaces) and if we're really going to push the boat out into the stream of fancy then Hulme could become a performance hub (close to the Uni, the Met and RNCM, close to the theatres, access to the potential media hub from Cornbrook station and according to a friend of mine very popular with the gays). Of course it all depends on economic growth, support from local stakeholders and the people of Manchester (and incommers) having the capacity for interesting and innovative creativity, but it's not an impossible dream.

Of course if we were to have more than one creative hub they would probably naturally adopt different functions.

Salford are definitely eyeing(amongst others) the music crown. Take a look at their recently produced Salford music map on the Visit Salford website, www.visitsalford.info (http://www.visitsalford.info/whattosee/music/musicmap/musica-z.htm).

A response to it in a post on the Guardian website's music blog:

Salford: Not so much to answer for?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/feb/11/salford-musical-map)
Posted by: Tony Naylor
11 February 2009

The Salford musical map, an attempt to stake the city's claim to fame in opposition to Manchester, should be fascinating – but it is actually petty and pointless

In theory, I should love the Salford music map. As a pedant, as the son of Salfordians (tragically, I grew up just over the border, in Bolton), as someone whose musical character was forged in the strobe lights of Madchester, I should be fascinated by this attempt to document the city's musical history.
"So much of what's often called Manchester music," the map states, "actually comes from the city of Salford." However, by staking its claim to musical fame in chippy opposition to Manchester, the project, co-ordinated by the council's tourism department, just looks petty.

Continues Here... (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/feb/11/salford-musical-map)

I had a thought about this whole 'cool Salford' a few months ago.

As things get posh and over-priced in Manchester, the bricks and mortar of what can allow something unique and alternative to emerge and flourish dissapears. The gritty 'edge' that has so often gone hand in hand music and cool areas is no longer there because it can't afford the rent.

This whole 'Chapel Street Corridor' branding is Manchester Confiedntial trying to stroke their own ego by naming something themselves. They're always on to some kind of campaign at the moment but their intensions don't seem as well placed as their efforts to sprice up Castlefield.

But with regards to the Northen Quarter 'having it's day', there's still loads of empty units and life left in the place. Just becasue High Street/Thomas Street is full of bars doesn't mean we should give up and look elsewhere. Large areas of the middle sections are ripe for spawning new independant businesses and the devlopment of The Hive and initiatives for Stevenson Sqaure are very exciting. The Sketch City lot had a great setup in Marlsborough house, which is everything the Northern Quarter seems to stand for.

Saford University Campus. 15 years and beyond redevelopment.


http://www.salford.ac.uk/about/campus/

Salford Advertiser.

Stadium is a step closer
Sam Kirby
April 30, 2009


THE Swinton Lions have taken the first steps towards a permanent home in Salford, by appointing consultants to help them apply for planning permission.

The rugby league club, who play at Sedgley Park in Prestwich, are hoping to get permission to convert land at Agecroft into a community stadium, complete with car park and training facilities.

The move follows controversial rumours which emerged last year, suggesting the club could move to Darwen, near Blackburn.

However, the club are now hoping to submit a full application within the next six months.

Paul Kidd, Swinton Lions coach, said: "It’s great news for the club and our supporters.

"There’s been a lot of people working very hard on this and we’re hopeful that we will now begin to see the fruits of that labour.

"It’s important not just to Swinton Lions rugby league club, but also the town of Swinton, that we have the club back within the boundaries.

"We will also finally have a base back and a home of our own, which is absolutely crucial to securing the future of the club.

"It’s a great boost for all concerned and we are looking forward to a very positive future for rugby league in Swinton."

The club have said the stadium will not be a 15,000 all seater, but instead a scaled down structure designed with expansion in mind, if and when necessary.

A gym, a physiotherapy unit and other health and welfare related ventures are also being considered for inclusion in the project.

Club chairman John Kidd, said: "We are now confident that a permanent and viable base can now be established in the area and we are looking to develop that sooner rather than later.

"With that in mind we are looking to set up various ways of helping supporters to contribute any way they see fit and we trust they will join us in ensuring the safe passage of our planning application through to realising our common vision."

salford strategic plans - http://www.swfoulkesarchitects.com/projects.html





Salford cresent station redevelopment + tower - concept ?

http://www.swfoulkesarchitects.com/images/projects/Masterplanning/Land_Analysis.jpg

http://www.swfoulkesarchitects.com/images/projects/Masterplanning/axo.jpg

http://www.swfoulkesarchitects.com/images/projects/Masterplanning/strategic.jpg

http://www.swfoulkesarchitects.com/images/projects/Masterplanning/strategic_level.jpg

any future plans for a metro line to sally cresent ??

The lower map that includes both the Crescent and the Quays really does illustrate the vast number of developments that have emerged in recnet history of this side of the Irwell.

And to think what it was like. You can imagine that in another generation that this could be a substantial economic zone with a considerable improvement in the living conidtions and environment.

Trams to the Crescent Man Med?

The conventional GMPTE/DaFT thinking is that if it did occur then it would be the much talked about Wigan to Marple tram-train.

Test trials of the tram-train are to begin in West Yorkshire next year and continue until 2018-20. A decision would be made then and I would expect GMITA or whatever they will be called then, to bid for this in the 20's.

An article from today's "Manchester Evening (not really) News" (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1120671_salford_skyscraper_grounded):

:ohno:

Salford skyscraper grounded
Jennifer Thomson and Neal Keeling

June 15, 2009

THREE huge developments in Salford have all ground to a halt - victims of the recession.

Canopus Towers - a planned pair of skyscrapers hailed as 'the most sought after address' - is now fenced off and barren after developers BS Construction went into administration.

And plans for a £600m urban village off Middlewood Road and an 'urban beach' scheme on the River Irwell have both stalled.

The council was advised by a government body three times not to approve the £180m Canopus scheme at Greengate on the banks of the Irwell, but granted permission in December 2007.

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, which advises on new buildings, said the plan was inappropriate and unrealistic. The 'win towers' would have been the tallest in Salford, rivalling Manchester's 550ft high Beetham Tower.

Council leader John Merry said: "I don't accept that it was unwise to approve the application. We did take CABE's comments seriously but their verdict is not the deciding factor in planning applications.

"We are confident that the whole of the regeneration of that area will be completed."

But planning officer Tim Hartley admitted they were unlikely to find someone to take on the towers.

He said: "It seems a 46-storey development is too big to be attractive to a developer."

The Middlewood Locks homes were approved in 2003 and the 'beach' plan given the nod a year later.

The four-acre site would have included four blocks of apartments, private gardens, underground parking, and steps to a riverside man-made beach.

A spokeswoman for developers Urban Splash said: "As yet we do not have a definitive timescale for the development of this project. It remains a key site for Urban Splash."

Middlewood Locks would have included 1,700 new homes. Part of the Manchester, Bolton, and Bury Canal was re-opened as part of the development.

A short walk from Manchester city centre, it was described in 2004 as `Manchester's contemporary waterside quarter'.

Coun Derek Antrobus, Salford's planning boss, said work at all three had stopped because of 'financing issues'.

But he said he was confident the projects would be taken up by another developer, particularly at Middlewood where there has already been heavy investment in infrastructure.

Can people remind me why the government advised Salford village council not to approve this?

It leaves some severe egg of the faces of the council if this piece of land remains a windy wreck of a site for the next decade.

manchester evening misinformation more like. that is not the reason why canopus isn't going ahead! nothing to do with the recession.

The Salford Central Development Framework was adopted at a meeting on 19/05/09 (http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4098&MGP_ID=115):

FULL REPORT: Adoption of the Revised Salford Central Development Framework
(http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar_documents/PLMB190509C.DOC)
From the report:
1.9 Salford Central Station
In January 2008 the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, Network Rail, Salford City Council and the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company commissioned consultants led by Austin Smith Lord to review the vision, design and phasing of a programme to improve Salford Central Station and particularly address the lack of capacity and its response to envisaged development in the area. The study published in January 2009 envisaging a much enlarged station with a new western entrance and the use of the arches and arcading beneath the station for retail, workshops cafes etc.

1.10 Bus Interchange
The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive is considering a potential off-street bus interchange and has identified the eastern part of Gore Street (opposite the northern entrance of Salford Central Station) as a suitable location. As this was an amendment to the draft, a separate consultation of stakeholders was carried out in March and April 2009. This resulted in nineteen response. Concerns were mainly expressed about the possible loss of existing buildings on Chapel Street and New Bailey Street if the bus interchange was developed . However the possible location has been included in the adopted documents and Salford city Council and the Urban Regeneration Company will continue to examine the potential for this use on the Gore street site.

1.11 Irwell City Park
North West Regional Development Agency and partner approval for £1.1m funding was granted in November 2008 to complete the “pre-implementation” phase of Irwell City Park. After a series of formal tender processes, consultant teams were appointed in January 2009; a Design Team (Broadway Malyan, Form Associates and Giffords), Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors (Davis Langdon), and Construction Design and Management Regulations Coordinator (Turner and Townsend).

1.12 Pre-implementation works focus on the detailed planning and technical assessments leading to the securing of planning permissions by the end of April 2010 for the following:
• The creation of a high quality, continuously accessible, Disability Discrimination Act compliant, pedestrian and cycle route from Mediacity:UK to the Regional Centre that will contribute significantly to the Regional Centre Transport Strategy;
• The construction of a number of new iconic pedestrian bridges that will enhance and increase transport and economic connectivity and accessibility to support future economic growth and,
A new premier public realm that will reinforce and underpin the Regional Centre’s economic and social resurgence, and strengthen its economic vitality, environmental quality and ability to attract substantial investment.

1.13 A strategic review of the project is nearing completion in order to clearly define the scope of the project, and designs are progressing for a number of key elements. The review has included a series of meetings and workshops involving all key partners and stakeholders, to ensure buy-in and ongoing commitment. To facilitate detailed designs, a series of surveys are underway. A Waterways Strategy is being prepared to consider how best the river/ship canal can be used for transport, leisure and recreation, and to improve water quality. A Green Infrastructure Plan is also being prepared to clarify the potential environmental, economic and health benefits.

1.14 Detailed discussions will also continue between the Irwell City Park team and English Cities Fund to realise a complementary relationship between the two projects.

1.15 Islington Park
The consultation draft and final draft proposed increasing the size of Islington Park and extending it to occupy a long frontage and an entrance onto Chapel Street. Although a frontage on Chapel Street will be retained in the adopted version , the requirement to retain the building line at this point has resulted in a revised plan reducing the length of frontage.

1.16 River Irwell Quays
The draft included a pedestrian bridge across the Irwell at this point into Manchester. This has been omitted from the adopted Framework.

1.17 Marketing Studies
The final Framework will make reference to a range of recent marketing studies undertaken in Salford Central which support the proposed mix of residential, commercial, leisure, hotel, retail and creative business uses.

1.18 Text and Plan Changes
The final Framework also incorporates a number of minor text and plan changes to reflect the above issues.

2.0 Conclusion

2.1 The adopted Development Framework will incorporate the above changes.

2.2 The Development Framework sets clear guidance for comprehensive development of Salford Central over the next 15-20 years. It is flexible to cope with inevitable changes which will occur in that period but will provide enough certainty to encourage a consistent high standard of development and regeneration.

2.3 Following adoption of the Framework, English Cities Fund will be submitting an outline planning application for development within the majority of the Development Agreement area. This will lay the basis for detailed development proposals and site assembly.

So no new bridge at 'River Irwell Quays'.

basically the whole Chapel Street/Cresent corridor.

This will be very interesting (not that there is going to be much happening in actual develpments any time soon), but much of Chapel Street from Trinity Way to Salford Uni is currently derelict - maning that City Centre Salford (Greengate, Blackfriars) is effectively unconnected to the Crescent.

I am particularly interested in how they are planning transport links - i.e. the southern section of the the Leigh Salford Busway. Potentially establishing a good public transport route across the regional centre between the two main university precincts is the current top priority for Manchester/Salford as a major urban centre.

Salford masterplan includes 2 million sq ft of offices
By Simon Binns

The biggest ever planning application in Salford's history will be submitted to the city council today for a scheme that will link sites such as Salford University and The Crescent, Chapel Street and Spinningfields.

The application, from English Cities Fund with the support of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, covers an area of 17.7 hectares - equivalent to 21 international football pitches - and is larger than that submitted for the first phase of Media City.

The proposed development includes 864 new homes, 390 hotel rooms, 250,000 sq ft of active use space and 2m sq ft of office space.

It includes a number of distinct areas including Salford Central Station, Chapel Street, Adelphi and the Historic Core, which features the Adelphi and Bexley Square Conservation Area and listed buildings such as St Philips Church and Salford Cathedral.

The proposed development will create new office, commercial, retail and leisure space complemented by family housing and apartments linked by new public realm and civic spaces.

A new square, St Johns Place, will be built near Salford Cathedral and a new Commercial Quarter plans to “make the most” of Salford's proximity to Spinningfields and Manchester city centre, with potential for a hotel providing up to 250 bed spaces. The Mark Addy public house will be redeveloped and Riverside House will be retained for commercial and leisure use.

A new commercial district is planned at Irwell Quays with a new office development and ground floor commercial or retail use as well as a multi-storey car park.

The Irwell Quays apartment-led residential area will be the final development zone along the river.

A new boutique hotel with up to 140 bed spaces could be created on Gore Street, and a landmark building will be built in the area fronting Chapel Street.

The Egerton Arms Hotel pub and the Brown Brothers buildings will remain, the latter converted for commercial use.

Chapel Street South will see a mix of office, commercial, retail and residential space fronting Chapel Street. The Bell Tower and Ye Olde Nelson pubs will be retained and converted for commercial/leisure use.

The retail, office and studio space will be targeted at creative and local businesses.

New family town houses will be built around St Philip's Church square and a residential-led mixed use development of apartments with some townhouses and commercial space will be built around Adelphi Street.

Phil Mayall, of English Cities Fund, said: "This mixed-use scheme will encourage the development of a sustainable community, capturing benefits for both the neighbouring and wider Salford areas. It is an important first step on the road to regenerating what was formerly the civic heart of Salford."

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, said: “The vision for Central Salford is to regenerate this important area of the city, to help diversify its economic base and to bring in new activity.

“We want to create a vibrant, urban centre with striking economic opportunity. Alongside this we will be providing a mix of quality family homes and apartments and attracting new business in whilst retaining and building on the creative industries that are already established.

"We've always appreciated that whilst Media City makes us famous, regeneration of Chapel Street is what the URC will be judged by."

There will be a public viewing of the plans at Salford Central/St Philips Church from August 10 – 12.

From the MEN (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1128134_650m_for_salfords_historic_heart):

£650m for Salford's historic heart
Exclusive: Neal Keeling

July 27, 2009

A £650M plan to revitalise the historic heart of Salford has been unveiled.

Nearly 1,000 new homes would be built in the Crescent and Chapel Street area - together with two new hotels, shops and offices, and a European-style plaza. A new 'commercial quarter' would make the most of the area's closeness to Manchester's Spinningfields business district, just across the River Irwell.

The plan is being masterminded by Chris Farrow, who was behind the regeneration of the Albert Dock complex in Liverpool. It will be submitted to the council for planning permission today.

Mr Farrow - now the chief executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company - said he hoped to secure planning permission `by Christmas'.

The government has already agreed to provide £10m for the area, which is the historic heart of the city. Existing landmark buildings including St Philip's Church - featured in works by L S Lowry - and Bexley Square conservation area will be enhanced by the scheme.

The piazza - St John's Place - would be built next to the newly-renovated Salford Cathedral while Islington Park would be improved and enlarged.

Parcels of land have already been acquired by Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and English Cities Fund, who drew up the plan.

Experts believe investors can be found to bankroll the scheme despite the recession, due to the site neighbouring Manchester city centre.

Mr Farrow said: "This scheme will be easier than Albert Dock. This is a prime site.

"We have spent two years consulting local people about this. The vision is to regenerate this important area of the city to help diversify its economic base and bring in new activity.

"We want to create a vibrant urban centre with striking economic opportunity born out of the city's fine heritage which will showcase its many historical and natural assets.

"Alongside this we will be providing a mix of quality family homes and apartments and attracting new businesses whilst retaining and building on the creative industries that are already established."

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1128134_650m_for_salfords_historic_heart

just thought id post this:P, heard it on the radio commenting on how itd be good for the construction companies in the area etc :banana:

A £650M plan to revitalise the historic heart of Salford has been unveiled.

Nearly 1,000 new homes would be built in the Crescent and Chapel Street area - together with two new hotels, shops and offices, and a European-style plaza. A new 'commercial quarter' would make the most of the area's closeness to Manchester's Spinningfields business district, just across the River Irwell.

The plan is being masterminded by Chris Farrow, who was behind the regeneration of the Albert Dock complex in Liverpool. It will be submitted to the council for planning permission today.

Mr Farrow - now the chief executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company - said he hoped to secure planning permission `by Christmas'.

The government has already agreed to provide £10m for the area, which is the historic heart of the city. Existing landmark buildings including St Philip's Church - featured in works by L S Lowry - and Bexley Square conservation area will be enhanced by the scheme.

The piazza - St John's Place - would be built next to the newly-renovated Salford Cathedral while Islington Park would be improved and enlarged.

Parcels of land have already been acquired by Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and English Cities Fund, who drew up the plan.

Experts believe investors can be found to bankroll the scheme despite the recession, due to the site neighbouring Manchester city centre.

Mr Farrow said: "This scheme will be easier than Albert Dock. This is a prime site.

"We have spent two years consulting local people about this. The vision is to regenerate this important area of the city to help diversify its economic base and bring in new activity.

"We want to create a vibrant urban centre with striking economic opportunity born out of the city's fine heritage which will showcase its many historical and natural assets.

"Alongside this we will be providing a mix of quality family homes and apartments and attracting new businesses whilst retaining and building on the creative industries that are already established."

This sounds really really good.

I hope the homes are going to be like proper town houses though and not more apartments, something different is needed I reckon

yeah there's a thread for Central Salford.

Lock.

This sounds really really good.

I hope the homes are going to be like proper town houses though and not more apartments, something different is needed I reckon to add that extra bit of positive character to the area

was browsing the salford planning explorer website and noticed a bunch of applications this month to demolish several streets of houses (100s of houses) in salford off cromwell road. just thought some people might be affected and also might know what it's about, what is going there?

here is one of them-

http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KN4ZIFNP05X00
09/57913/DEMCON

applicant: salford city council/ salix homes

"Prior notification for the demolition of 55 - 107 Littleton Road, Salford"

"to progress with approved ongoing regeneration in charlestown" - http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06791605.pdf

commences october 2009.

was browsing the salford planning explorer website and noticed a bunch of applications this month to demolish several streets of houses (100s of houses) in salford off cromwell road. just thought some people might be affected and also might know what it's about, what is going there?

here is one of them-

http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KN4ZIFNP05X00
09/57913/DEMCON

applicant: salford city council/ salix homes

"Prior notification for the demolition of 55 - 107 Littleton Road, Salford"

"to progress with approved ongoing regeneration in charlestown" - http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06791605.pdf

commences october 2009.

Think these are the ones near the bridge approaching The Racecourse Hotel, they've been boarded up for a while now, think they're building some glass houses instead......no joke

Bit of a shame really, some of the streets are staying but I love those terrace houses, part of the fabric innit.

Hence the reasoning behind them transfering the Youth Offending Service from Encombe Place down to the ex St Simon St housing office, which will end up smack bang in the middle of an area that is already deprived. Surely empty offices next to Baroness Blears offices on the Crescent or at Media City, another area off the beaten bus routes would be much better rather than have young criminals wandering the streets from Chapel St and it's bus stops down to Blackfriars Road

We never bought for one minute that the existing building in Encombe Place was being closed down because of lack of disabled access. How many criminals are actually active in wheelchairs?

Sorry, I don't get excited about these kind of announcements anymore. I've seen too many of these over the last 5 years and then nothing. Those announcements/proposals that have begun, have come to a standstill. 1000 new home's and 2mill sq ft of office space, not a chance in hell, now or in the foreseeable future. Add this proposal to the ever growing list of......(fill in as appropriate)

Sorry for being a miserbale old fart.

Sorry, I don't get excited about these kind of announcements anymore. I've seen too many of these over the last 5 years and then nothing. Those announcements/proposals that have begun, have come to a standstill. 1000 new home's and 2mill sq ft of office space, not a chance in hell, now or in the foreseeable future. Add this proposal to the ever growing list of......(fill in as appropriate)

Sorry for being a miserbale old fart.

i share your view, jrb. the way i see it is they need to try to get on the next market rise. no point in them doing this again and only planning things when the market reaches such heady heights that everyone wants a go at developing things- and when a market correction (crash) is imminent. they need to get in quick next time, if they can get the finance.

650 million is a lot of money, big project, could do with a thread of it's own perhaps. no harm waiting to see what happens.

ANOTHER rehash of an OLD series of plans for this area that have been covered on this site and many others since 2005 or so. The regen. agency once based on St Johns Sq. Chapel Street had plans, for this same type developemnt way back in 2005 when I was doing my planning degree.

A lousy £10 quid is a drop in the ocean and will not attract one iota of private cash in the current environment esp. when more lucrative, attractive scheme's over in Mcr centre and eveywhere else have ground to a halt.

sighhhhh. the government should foot the bill for schemes like this rather than building shitting eco towns. Wasn't that supposed to be the idea anyway?.. that the Government would build vast amounts of homes to the tune of 25,000 per Local Authority. I remember filling in a survey relating to Salford scheme, these new homes were to be built either A. Densely in the centre (saving green land) B. On green land (offering more houses) C. Bit of both. ?

sighhhhh. the government should foot the bill for schemes like this rather than building shitting eco towns. Wasn't that supposed to be the idea anyway?.. that the Government would build vast amounts of homes to the tune of 25,000 per Local Authority. I remember filling in a survey relating to Salford scheme, these new homes were to be built either A. Densely in the centre (saving green land) B. On green land (offering more houses) C. Bit of both. ?

Sounds like the Core Strategy.

http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/planning/planning-policy/salfordldf/core-strategy.htm

As ever Peel Holdings' submissions make for interesting reading.

http://www.propertyconfidential.com/index.asp?Sessionx=IpqiNwc6IWIpI0qiNwF6IHqi&frombounce=yes

Quite a comprehensive summary from Manchester Confidential.

^^ "There will be a public viewing of the plans at Salford Central/St Philips Church from 10 to 12 August." - i hope to go.


presumably this planning app is a scale & means of access wotsit app, or a masterplan app? or- an outline app? be interested to find out. don't think it's been put up on the planning website yet, can't find it.

Sounds like the Core Strategy.

http://www.salford.gov.uk/living/planning/planning-policy/salfordldf/core-strategy.htm

As ever Peel Holdings' submissions make for interesting reading.

Yeh that's right. I actually won a Nintendo Wii for my response on the facebook page to the effect of "Salford's core strategy should be Manchester's" Maybe then I carry some clout in the City's planning department. Perhaps something worth exploring. Hmmmmmmmm.

Yes I was right -

Q: Why do we need to build 38,600 new homes?

A: The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) places a requirement on the city
council to deliver 1,600 new dwellings per year within the city. This figure has been updated in the Core Strategy, and increased to reflect more recent
household growth projections, and the growth point bid. There are issues
around the current state of the housing market, but we are planning for the
next 20 years, where there will be peaks and troughs.

I guess we'll see how this fits into this at a later date. I don't know whether the RSS is just an expectation or a general house-building scheme. Certainly Central Government are footing the bill for certain house-building schemes (Eco-towns). This was first written in 2004 during boom time, I guess an expectation (of investment - of finding investment) wasn't too much of an ask then. Of course it is now. And now more than ever places like Salford need A. Homes B. Jobs.

Islington estate masterplan...

at least these 2 ugly fellas are getting a make over

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/images/option_3.JPG

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/Newsletter_2.pdf

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/consultation_boards_-_final.pdf

Option 5!!! Get rid!!

- I went to the consulatation session on the Central Salford masterplan proposals, at St Phillip's church yesterday evening.

Note the following responses:

- the Middlewood Locks proposals are dead, as is any equivalent attempt to replicate a Spinningfields-type development in Salford. Salford now wants its centre to be different from Manchester. Which means:

- no tall buildings.
- office development to be geared towards smaller-scale "cultural and creative" enterprises, rather than corporate HQs,
- smaller budget hotels, rather than 4/5 star,
- apartment developments maintained where planning permission is still valid (e.g. Adelphi), but otherwise 3-story townhouses to be the preferred residential form for new build.
- scale and context of development to be consistent with retained 19th century structures, St Phillip's, St John's, "the Bell Tower", "The Old Nelson".

I was particularly interested to pick up on the proposals for the Chapel Street bus corridor (which I am putting on the BRT thread); but the most interesting bit is that the current scheme has only sketchy proposals for the plot of land between Salford Central station and Chapel Street. This is because they are expecting the PTE to put in a proposal for a transport interchange on that site sometime in the autumn. This will involve the demolition of the two fine pubs along Gore Street, New Bailey Street, and Chapel Street - including "Copperheads", which I recall as being the place where George Best and his liver ceased to function as a unit.

Not so sure about going only for budget offices and hotels but the emphasis on the 3 story town house is absolutely 100% spot on. It's what people prefer as they don't have to pay a management fee like an apartment and have some outside space..

Not so sure about going only for budget offices and hotels but the emphasis on the 3 story town house is absolutely 100% spot on. It's what people prefer as they don't have to pay a management fee like an apartment and have some outside space..

I would hope so - though from talking to the ECF people at the consultation event, they have to be careful not to make townhouses too big, or they get snapped up by developers and converted into apartments. Consequently in Encombe Place (the llittle square of late Geoargian houses behind St Phillips) the newbuild - which has to conform to the original exterior design - is intended as apartments, not townhouses.

I am more worried about the proposals from the PTE to put the Salford Central interchange on the site of Copperheads and the Egerton Arms Hotel. there is little enough of the genuine south side of Chapel Street surviving, so it is difficult to see why two good buildings should have to go. Especially as the surrounding lots, both north and south of the Station, are vacant, and I would have though they would do equally well, or better, for the interchange.

On the other hand, a big cheer is in order for the proposal to demolish the 70s dreck west of New Bailey street - Washington House; and those embarassing neo-Georgian office courts. Only Ralli House and Riverside house should remain.

Incidentally, the plans show the Irwell footbridge across to the Left Bank as skewed, so as to enter Salford over the top of a rebuilt Mark Addy.

First post after years of lurking, so hello all and thanks for the information and inspiration over this time!

I also went along to the consultation meeting at St Phillips last night, as I live and work near the area. Can't believe it was the first time I've set foot in the church as it's really impressive inside.

Generally very pleased with the thought that had gone into the plan as there didn't seem to be any clearly stupid ideas or missed opportunities. Obviously very little will happen if the global economy implodes but with average luck in the medium term then I'd be happy to see the broad outline take shape. Some thoughts

-Nice ideas for Stanley Street on the Salford river-bank, including a revamped Mark Addy and provision to receive the foot-bridge from Spinningfields (English Cities said they are "talking" to Allied London about the bridge but I'm not holding my breath. Knew someone who worked on Spinningfields 5 years ago and at the time he reckoned the bridge had already been built and was sitting in a yard ready to install)
- nice images of what could be done with the currently empty riverbank opposite the V&A hotel, pleased to see provision for full length walking and cycling routes to tie in with Irwell City Park
- I discussed the Salford Central bus interchange plans but don't seem to remember that they would involve demolishing either of the pubs? I'd certainly hope that we wouldn't lose the Egerton as I think it's been there longer than the station.

I am planning to e-mail tim.hartley or david.best@urbanvision.org.uk to ask for a CD-ROM of the whole application as don't think I could bear trying to view it through the Salford planning portal...

I'm just uploading the Design Statement and the Public Realm Report onto Mediafire in case any one is having trouble viewing the documents. Tonsss of goodies. Welcome trinityboy. :)

I'm just uploading the Design Statement and the Public Realm Report onto Mediafire in case any one is having trouble viewing the documents. Tonsss of goodies. Welcome trinityboy. :)

Quite a few renders in this PDF. One or two interesting buidings being proposed.

http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06815399.pdf

The Design and Access statement and the Public Realm Report:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=a5e56373511133431686155677bb2685818529498ef80070

Interesting stuff. I alway wonder about how well thought out inner city family accomodation is. I've no objection to it in principle, but with publice services absent from much of the centre and an engrained cultural tradition of raising kids in the suburbs it does worry me that we may be foisting ourselves with a load of housing stock only suitable for families. Perhaps flexibility is the key, building spaces that can be split up, but easilly reassembled for family occupation if that does become more desirable?

The riverside walkway looks nice from Princes Bridge but the horrible flats/offices will swamp the small green space that makes the riverside quite a nice peaceful area.

If that brick medical looking building is meant to be the Mark Addy it's better off staying as it is.

Option 5!!! Get rid!! As Chair of The Islington Estate Tenants And Residents Association, we developed a Masterplan with a regeneration exercise that started in November 2007 and was completed in April 2009, with the appointment of GVA Grimley Planet IE in September 2008. Funding of this 32.7m Masterplan, is/was supposed to be Salix Homes Decent Homes Funding of £ 7m (When they receive a two star + rating from the two stage audit by the Audit Commission in February 2010 or later), potential revenue of £ 11.3m from house sales (Not very likely at the moment) and the funding gap of £ 14.4m was to be covered by an expression of interest in PFI round 6, which bid failed. Being a tenant of Arthur Millwood Court since September 2007, it is a great place to live, close to Manchester town and absolute fabulous views over MediaCity, Trafford Centre and further away, from my 8th floor West facing apartment. The apartments are very spacious, but the high rise tower blocks much neglected since they were build in 1963, so are the interiors in respect of glazing, heating, insulation and communal areas. The outside exterior could do with a simple cladding solution, recent vague calculations show the following costs: £ 2.3m per block structural repairs, asbestos removal, electric and mechanical plant replacement and £ 1.74m per block cladding and environmental improvements, making a total of £ 8.08m. There is still between 50 till 100 years live in the concrete, as per a survey from 2001. As a resident from London, who moved to Manchester in 2004, this is an inner City Estate with inner City Living, so leave our blocks alone, with narrow minded ideas, and the plans and remarks it is absolutely OK, to have surrounding high rise "private" blocks. From a "social" tenant :bash:

^^ I'm just jealous, having a view from there would be wonderful!

Hope they at least give it a nice contemporary (no eyesore colours) re-clad!

Is there a Salford University redevelopment thread???

Couple of tenders out today relating to Phase 1 of the Uni masterplan:
Tender - Structural & Civil Engineer Consultant - Phase 1 Masterplan (http://www.publictenders.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=93490)
Tender - Architectural Practice - Phase 1 Masterplan (http://www.publictenders.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=93530&newlang=eng&topic=193&catid=0)

...
Short description of the contract or purchase(s):

The University of Salford intend to appoint a single Consultant to provide Structural and Civil Engineer Consultant services for the development of Phase 1 of the Campus Masterplan to the detail required to achieve outline planning consent within the Phase 1 outline planning application the following developments will be considered for their impact on future phases of the development plan. A Learning Resource Centre a one stop shop for learning teaching and research that will include group working areas, quiet spaces for individual learning, pool teaching rooms, social spaces for students to meet (including a learning cafe and student bar) and University student administrative support.

— School of Art and Design building.

In addition the service provider is to provide full Structural and Civil Engineering Services through to project completion for the following projects:

— A new music, media and performance building to replace the inadequate facilities provided within the Adelphi Building: circa 30 000 000 GBP,

— Refurbishment of the Chapman Building to provide state of the art lecture theatre facilities that can be used as a venue for arts and cultural activities: circa 4 500 000 GBP,

— The realignment of the Broadwalk, the main thoroughfare and structuring route through the University, and the campus wide development of the public realm areas. This will include aspects of infrastructure works, to gas, electric and water services,

— Minor works programmes to decant schools and departments from buildings to be demolished,

— Within Phase 1 of the development The University are also investigating the feasibility of developing the Arts and Design Building and a new Leisure facilities.
...

The most recent masterplan doc I can find, from last year:
http://www.estates.salford.ac.uk/cms/resources/uploads/File/Salford%20University%203rd%20stakeholder%20workshop.pdf

Recent change of use app:
09/58095/COU (http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KQ26LONP00B00&searchtype=WEEKLY)
Albert Vaults, 169 Chapel Street, Salford. M3 6AD
Change of use from public house to cultural centre

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3308047029_94532872d2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31845030@N08/3308047029/)
From Flickr by: stephenbroadhurst (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31845030@N08/3308047029/)

Got some new renders and info(?) on Chapel Street, Greengate, Irwell City Park, etc.

I'll try and get some of it up over the weekend.

What is planned for the land in front on Vie , next to the Porcelien Tiles shop ?

Because there is a digger on site , looks like something is starting there .

What is planned for the land in front on Vie , next to the Porcelien Tiles shop ?

Because there is a digger on site , looks like something is starting there .

Do you mean on Water St. H?

The land between Porcelanosa and the River Medlock was cleared last week - I don't know what it was cleared of, because from the road it looked like a grass bank, but loads of bricks have been shifted so there was some kind of structure there.

Not sure what they are doing there though.

This is seperate from Water Street (ex-Harry Ramsden's), which is now being used for a car park. Not sure how legitimate it is but someone has tried really hard to handpaint signs that look like official parking ones.

Intriguing, here's an aerial shot of the area:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=sxc5b9gtb9ng&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=30833965&encType=1

Don't think anything is planned there.

That car park surely isn't legit, I didn't even think that site was flat...haven't looked over the fence in a while.

The land between Porcelanosa and the River Medlock was cleared last week - I don't know what it was cleared of, because from the road it looked like a grass bank, but loads of bricks have been shifted so there was some kind of structure there.

Not sure what they are doing there though.

This is seperate from Water Street (ex-Harry Ramsden's), which is now being used for a car park. Not sure how legitimate it is but someone has tried really hard to handpaint signs that look like official parking ones.

Think it maybe this....http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5290

Think it maybe this....http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5290

no thats where Harrys used to be............
Its going to be a depot for the imigrants to rinse squeegee's etc

Better late than never. Not sure if this render has been posted before? Excuse the spine of the magazine. See link below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/goat_edited-1.jpg

www.centralsalfordmagazine.com.

The magazine is free. You just need to subscribe. Some interesting stuff and a pretty decent read. The 3rd issue has just been released.

thats over the river from left bank spinningfields

Better late than never. Not sure if this render has been posted before? Excuse the spine of the magazine. See link below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/jrb041067/goat_edited-1.jpg

www.centralsalfordmagazine.com.

The magazine is free. You just need to subscribe. Some interesting stuff and a pretty decent read. The 3rd issue has just been released.


The developments look really good, when are they going to get built? It has been going on for years now...

They might actually do something to Chapel Street one of these days :|

A few details on Chapel Street public realm works, seemingly awaiting a decision on £10m NWDA funding, taken from a SCC report:
TO THE LEAD MEMBER FOR PLANNING
FOR BRIEFING ON - 6th October 2009
FOR DECISION ON - 20th October 2009

TITLE: Chapel Street Highway and Public Realm Improvements
...
8.1 A start on site is programmed for February 2010 with completion in May 2011.
...
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
...
Funding of £9.985 million is being sought from the North West Development Agency. A Concept Application was approved by the North West Development Agency on 10th August 2009 and a Detailed Development and Appraisal Application is due to be submitted on 28th September. North West Development Agency Board approval is expected on 7th December 2009.
...

Chapel Street Highway & Public Realm Improvements - 7.71Mb Doc (http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar_documents/PLMR201009D.DOC)
Meeting Docs - Planning Lead Member Briefing - 20/10/09 (http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4269&MGP_ID=115)


http://i38.tinypic.com/2uot9iu.jpg (http://i37.tinypic.com/4v25xc.jpg)
Click for large copy (http://i37.tinypic.com/4v25xc.jpg)

SCC report on the Salford Central/Spinningfields bridge, for a meeting on 03/11/09:
...
1.7 Approximately £1.2m of grant from the European Regional Development Fund is now being sought to construct the Spinningfields Bridge connection and complete associated public realm works at Stanley Street. The application has been prepared by Central Salford URC working in conjunction with English Cities Fund and Allied London.
...
1.9 Manchester City Council have indicated verbally through their Head of City Centre Regeneration that they no longer wish to take ownership responsibility for the new bridge despite a significant commuted sum being made available by Allied London. Manchester City Council consider the bridge benefits both Salford and Manchester and they have confirmed planning approvals remain in place.

1.10 North West Development Agency have approved the initial funding concept application, during August 2009. The detailed application was submitted on Tuesday 8th September 2009 and will be submitted to the North West Development Agency’s Programme Review Group for approval on 19th October 2009.

1.11 It has been necessary to clarify future ownership of the bridge (and therefore the responsible authority for maintaining the structure) before the application appraisal process was completed on 2nd October 2009. North West Development Agency must be satisfied that there is a clear line of accountability before funds are approved. If such funding was approved, the bridge will be constructed in Spring 2010, and will provide a much needed boost to economic and investor confidence.
...
New Pedestrian Bridge Connection - Stanley Street, Salford Central and Spinningfields - Report (http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar_documents/PLMR031109D.DOC)
Planning Lead Member Briefing - 03/11/09 Meeting (http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4288&MGP_ID=115)

Thanks CDX. I'm looking forward to this one.

Place North West.

Green light for LPC's Ordsall district centre
6 Nov 2009, 11:14


http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/assets/_files/cached/img/256.45630174793x262/nov_09/pnw__1257505969_FCH_radclyffe.jpg

Developer LPC Living has won consent for a £50m residential-led project on the site of the former Radclyffe school in Salford.

The scheme will create a 50,000 sq ft Morrisons superstore, 25,000 sq ft of non-food retail/commercial units around 300 affordable homes.

Alastair Shepherd, director at Liverpool-based architects of the scheme, Falconer Chester Hall, said: "This is great news as the scheme will really help to improve the lives of people in Ordsall. We consulted extensively with local residents before designing the scheme and their opinions and ideas are reflected in the final proposals."

The scheme is part of the £150m Heart of Ordsall Development framework and proposals include a tree-lined landscaped boulevard sweeping up to St Clement's Church, offering superb views of the development. Homes available include houses, duplexes and apartments with 50% offering three-bedrooms and aimed at a family market.

LPC Living has already delivered 340 homes across Ordsall Estate, also designed by Falconer Chester Hall, and a further 56 townhouses are due on site in early 2010.

This must have cost a fair bit in legal costs, surely would have been cheaper to have gone away & revised the plans.
Final bell tolls for flats plan at landmark hotel
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1182371_final_bell_tolls_for_flats_plan_at_landmark_hotel
November 14, 2009

THE death knell has sounded for a multi-million pound plan to restore Salford's Bell Tower Hotel. It has been boarded up for eleven years but a proposal to turn it into 22 apartments has been crushed after a High Court battle.
continues here... (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1182371_final_bell_tolls_for_flats_plan_at_landmark_hotel)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2892704953_a519dcc6d4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deltrems/2892704953/sizes/l/)
From Flickr by: deltrems (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deltrems/2892704953/sizes/l/)

Heres another decision thats being appealed at the the moment, apart-hotel scheme on Bloom Street, refused permission in April:
http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KDGHPHNP00400


http://i37.tinypic.com/13ykqbd.jpg (http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06348559.pdf)
http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06348559.pdf

Heres another decision thats being appealed at the the moment, apart-hotel scheme on Bloom Street, refused permission in April:


I'm not really sure why that was refused, especially on the grounds of not being of a sufficiently high spec for the adjoining buildings. It looks a million times better than City Point!

What a shame! These actually look like buildings worth saving, which is more than I can say for most...

Can we call this the 'Official Salford Thread' as Walkden and Eccles are not Central, more West!

I'm not really sure why that was refused, especially on the grounds of not being of a sufficiently high spec for the adjoining buildings. It looks a million times better than City Point!

It was deemed too tall. People from City Point objected it would cut out their view.

People from City Point objected it would cut out their view.

Loss of view is no reason for refusal though, inappropriate massing & poor choice of materials in relation to the Kings Arms & Model Lodging House on the other hand ;)

My own worries would be how the hotel would impact on the pub/arts performance space next door, how any noise complaints would affect them.

Crains.

Eccles’ £20m court scheme shelved

By Simon Binns


Plans for a new £20m courthouse in Eccles, Salford, have been scrapped.

The decision by HM Courts Service has angered Salford City Council, which had been working on the plans for several years. The new court played a major role in the proposed redevelopment of Eccles town centre.

The council is now pressing for an urgent meeting with Justice Secretary Jack Straw. In a letter to Salford City Council, courts services regional director Richard Knott blamed "the current economic climate" for the review, which also affects a similar proposal for Bolton.

Cllr John Merry, leader of Salford City Council, said: "The courthouse would have been a key development in the town centre, a real catalyst for its economy. Developments like this are a magnet for all sorts of allied business ranging from legal and professional services to shops. It is such a disappointment for Eccles.

"The courts service says it is committed to providing local facilities and so are we, but I want to be clear what that means - and what we can now do with this major town centre redevelopment opportunity."

The courthouse development would have comprised a combined magistrates' and county court building, and included a multi-storey car park.

comments?sbinns@crain.com

As Chogmook has pointed out, this is not Central Salford. Can we either change the name of the thread to just 'Salford', or maybe have a separate thread for the rest of Salford?

It is all talk, nothing is going to get done. They did nothing before the recession.

It is all talk, nothing is going to get done. They did nothing before the recession.

I thought it'd been done: Regen done and completed. The purpley coloured hoardings that are up look quite nice. Especially the one next to Shalamars: The full-of-cheer newsagents that would survive a nuclear blast

I thought it'd been done: Regen done and completed. The purpley coloured hoardings that are up look quite nice. Especially the one next to Shalamars: The full-of-cheer newsagents that would survive a nuclear blast

haha, they have talked for ages. It is not getting done. It is ridiculous.i I'd like to sommat nice as I enter the city centre, going through chapel street, ain't it.

From CentralSalford.com.

Central Salford - The Year Ahead

2009 saw great progress made in the large-scale plans for Central Salford. The team secured some vital planning approvals and £32.9million in funding towards its priority projects. 2010 is going to see much of the work being delivered.

This will see physical and environmental improvements to the area but also continued work with the communities which will drive the transformation of Central Salford into the most beautiful, vibrant and prosperous part of the City.

MediaCityUK on track

In spring 2010 MediaCityUK welcomes its first residents on site. The trams will also be arriving at MediaCityUK in 2010 as the Metrolink extension is scheduled to start operating from summer onwards.

On site at Chapel Street

In 2010 we will be on site in Chapel Street. The first phase of work on the Green and Walkable Streets Programme will begin around Chapel Street, focusing on the historic area of Bexley Square, St John’s Square and surrounding walkways as well as the gardens on the west side of Salford Cathedral.

And don’t forget to keep an eye out in 2010 for an exciting programme of events from Chapel Street’s vibrant creative industries!

Irwell River Park builds bridges

Vital design work was undertaken in 2009 moving the Irwell River Park project forward. A new pedestrian bridge at MediaCityUK and links to a new promenade at Imperial War Museum North is now in construction. This will link the Salford and Trafford sides of The Quays. This activity is set to continue in 2010 as further bridge links get under way.

Greengate gets the green light

The Greengate Public Realm scheme will start on site in 2010, following approval from the Homes and Communities Agency, Salford and Manchester city councils for the £10.4million scheme.
http://www.centralsalford.com/index.php?page=content&block=8&sub=&newsid=519

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/rolybling/resizeimagephp.jpg

Salford Council accepts Chapel St deal

by Tom

We're getting provisional messages through from Salford Council's planning meeting that a vote has been taken and the result is a unanimous yes to take the project forward.

This is, however, a provisional yes and we will confirm with the Council in the course of the afternnon.

The £650 million application was submitted in July last year, about £300 million more than is being put towards MediaCityUK on Salford Quays, and it includes plans to link sites such as Salford University and The Crescent, Chapel Street and Manchester business district of Spinningfields.

“We’ve always appreciated that whilst MediaCityUK ‘makes us famous’ our regeneration of Chapel Street is what the URC will be judged by,” said chairman of Central Salford URC, Felicity Goodey.

The floor space for the proposed development includes: 864 new homes, 390 hotel rooms, 24,000 square metres of active use space and 197,000 square metres of office space.

Some change of usage is expected after the housing market struggled to pick up the pieces of huge drops in the north west. We will post more on this when we know the details. A statement from Central Salford URC is expected this afternoon.



http://www.salfordonline.com/blog_page/17844-salford_council_accepts_chapel_st_deal.html

Here's the planning report for anyone that wants a long read, the first 136 pages:
http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar_documents/PTRP21011005III.DOC
http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4377&MGP_ID=82

Lets hope there's some progress this year.

The floor space for the proposed development includes: 864 new homes, 390 hotel rooms, 24,000 square metres of active use space and 197,000 square metres of office space.



Any retail? Is Salford going to get a proper shopping area here too? Surely it would be good to add a bit of life and vibrancy on the street? (And no I dont mean yet another big 'regenerating' supermarket...)

mmm, a 1200sqm food supermarket to serve the new residents on the existing islington estate, otherwise the rest of the 24,000sqm will be limited to no unit larger than 500sqm and seems to be primarily food and drink with some newsagent type stores. The report criticises itself for not carrying out a study into retail impact. It justifies this by saying that it will be spread out and not concentrated enough to form a retail core, merley complimentary to larger (office) developments.

Retailing - it is considered that the applicants have demonstrated a quantitative and qualitative need for retail floorspace in this area of central Salford. Whilst 4NW agree with the retail assessment that the area fails to make an effective contribution to the Regional Centre at present, retail development in this location should not undermine the vitality and viability of other centres. It is noted that the retail assessment states that with the exception of the food retail unit, it is anticipated that the remaining retail floorspace will predominantly attract independent retailers. This approach is encouraged and supported by policy W5 of the RSS.

The amount of retailing is large but is spread over an extensive area

Oh well, thanks WatcherZero!

Today.

Plans approved to put the heart back into the old city of Salford

The application, submitted by English Cities Fund (ECf) with the support of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company was larger than that submitted for the first phase of MediaCityUK and will link key sites such as the University of Salford and The Crescent, Chapel Street and the region’s business district - Spinningfields.

Covering an area of 17.744ha - equivalent to 21 international football pitches – it follows more than two years of consultation with the community and stakeholders and aims to deliver the holistic regeneration of this important part of Salford for the benefit of existing and potential residents, businesses and visitors.

Sir Michael Lyons, non-executive Chairman of the English Cities Fund, said:
“I am delighted that Salford City Council has today resolved to grant planning permission for this English Cities Fund development. The decision is a significant landmark and lays the foundations for the much needed regeneration of this area. There remains a considerable amount of work to do before development commences however, with the continued support of its partners and the local community, I am confident that ECf will produce a development that Salford can be proud of.”

The approved plans will create the conditions to assist the successful regeneration of the area, which includes a number of distinct districts including: Salford Central Station, Chapel Street, Adelphi and the Historic Core, which features the Adelphi and Bexley Square Conservation Area and listed buildings such as St Philips Church and Salford Cathedral.

The Chapel Street area occupies a key location and is the western gateway, which links the rest of Salford, including MediaCityUK, through to Manchester city centre. The plans would see Chapel Street restored, improving the setting of its historic buildings and putting the heart back into Salford.

The proposed development is centred on creating sustainable communities with the correct balance of uses. New offices, commercial, retail and leisure uses will be complemented by family housing and apartments linked by high-quality public realm and civic spaces.

A new square, St Johns Place, is planned to maximise the view of the newly renovated Salford Cathedral. A new Commercial Quarter will make the most of Salford’s strategic location next to Spinningfields and the corporate heart of Manchester.

Chris Farrow, Chief Executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, said: “Today’s decision marks a critical milestone in the regeneration of this key area of the City. Over the last 2 years Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, in close partnership with our public and private sector partners, local businesses and communities, has worked tirelessly on the planning, design and consultation for the Chapel Street area.

“We can now look forward to driving forward the regeneration of the Chapel Street area to create a vibrant, urban centre and a more beautiful setting for its many historical and natural assets.”

The floor space for the proposed development includes: 849 new homes, 390 hotel rooms, 24,000 square metres of retail, food and drink and entertainment space and 197,000 square metres of office space.

Cllr Derek Antrobus, Salford City Council lead member for planning said: "This is an ambition of local people, local businesses as well as the local council. We are delighted our vision to restore Salford's city centre has taken a step forward today by the approval of this planning application."

The application takes into consideration planning guidance to protect and contribute to the key views in Salford and many of the key vistas will be maximised. Public realm will also play a key part in the regeneration of Central Salford with cycle routes, footpaths and new open spaces included in the design.

The zones in the planning application include:

Irwell Quays
This area is next to Manchester City Centre, bound to the north by Trinity Way and to the south by the River Irwell, it consists of hard standing and some scrubland while the topography is mainly flat.

A new commercial district at Irwell Quays is planned with new office development and ground floor commercial or retail use as well as a multi-storey car park. New pedestrian and cycle routes, riverside walk link to the Commercial Quarter to the north and the residential area and riverside open space to south in the Irwell Quays Residential area.

Commercial Quarter
This area is to the east of the Quays and is bound by Salford Central train station to the north and a continuation of the River Irwell to the south. It consists of a large surface car park to the south of the station and office blocks.

The Commercial Quarter will have its own distinct identity benefiting from its unique location next to the River Irwell, historic railway arches and its proximity to city routes. A new pedestrian bridge crossing the Irwell and linking the Quarter to Spinningfields is planned as well as a new square, riverside walkway and cycle route linked to Irwell City Park. New public realm will feature throughout the area linking the Irwell Quays, Salford Station and Gore Street.

There will be potential for a hotel providing up to 250 bed spaces and a new multi-storey car park. The Mark Addy public house will be redeveloped and Riverside House will be retained for commercial and leisure use.

Irwell Quays Residential
Located southwest of Irwell Quays this area is the final development zone located along the river. A linear zone, it is bound by Trinity Way to the north and the river to the south.

The focus for the area is a new apartment led residential development on the banks of the River Irwell. Elsewhere public realm will be developed with new open space, a riverside walk linking to the Manchester, Bolton, Bury canal and new cycle routes will be provided as part of Irwell River Park.

Gore Street
A mix of uses are proposed for Gore Street, located to the north of Central Station and connected to the Commercial Quarter to the south via pedestrian routes through the railway viaduct. It will be led by new office development positioned to benefit from the neighbouring station and Commercial Quarter. There is the potential for a new boutique hotel with up to 140 bed spaces, and a landmark building fronting on to Chapel Street.

The Egerton Arms Hotel pub and the Brown Brothers buildings will remain, the later converted for commercial/office use.

Chapel Street South
Land south of Chapel Street will be the focus for new development with a mix of uses for office, commercial, retail and residential providing an active frontage on to Chapel Street. Alongside this new development the vacant Bell Tower and Ye Olde Nelson public houses will be retained and converted for commercial/leisure use.

A mix of apartments above new commercial, retail and office floor space will be provided to ensure active frontages on to Chapel Street, in a series of individual buildings and blocks, some with private courtyards. The retail, office and studio floor space will be focused on the promotion of creative and local business. Elsewhere the focus will be on family town houses linked to Islington Estate and provision of new local shopping provision for the community, including a neighbourhood supermarket.

Chapel Street North
The area is the historic core of Salford City Centre and includes the Adelphi and Bexley Square Conservation Area. No changes are proposed to existing buildings. However, improved public realm, streets and footpaths are planned with a new civic square and public space improving the setting of St Philip’s church.

St Philips Church NE
Located to the north east of Grade II* listed St Philip’s church, the area comprises cleared land of former homes and residential town houses. Family town houses are proposed for an area of currently underused cleared space alongside a small number of apartments, reinstating the traditional urban streets.

St Philips Church SE
Situated north of Chapel Street the area currently comprises a row of existing modern properties bound by Great George Street to the east and St Philips place to the west. Peel Park Inn and listed Manchester and Salford Savings Bank Public House, which fronts on to Chapel Street will be retained and reused for commercial/office use. New family town houses will be provided on the cleared land and part of Bank Street to formally enclose St Philip's church square.

Islington Park
The park consists of green space with pedestrian routes through it and is located to the south of Chapel Street. Improvements will be made to the park with an additional area of civic space to enhance and widen the park.

Chapel Street Highways Zone
Central to the proposals along Chapel Street is a new square, St John's Place, opposite the cathedral incorporating Chapel Street, which aims to emphasise the setting of Salford Cathedral. Alongside this the aim is to reduce the dominance of vehicles and provide greater space for pedestrians and create better links across the highway reconnecting the historic core with the existing community on the south side.

Adelphi Street This area, situated to the north of the former Salford Royal hospital, which has been successfully converted into apartments on Chapel Street, is currently vacant. The site here, which has planning consent, will see a residential-led mixed use development of apartments with some townhouses and commercial space around a central courtyard.

http://www.centralsalford.com/

Place North West.

ECF's 43-acre Salford vision approved

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/assets/_files/cached/img/800x600/jan_10/pnw__1264081330_Salford_Arches_final03.jpg

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http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/assets/_files/cached/img/648x800/jan_10/pnw__1264081572_Salford_View_1_004.jpg

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ECF's 43-acre Salford vision approved
21 Jan 2010, 13:41


English Cities Fund has been granted planning consent for a large-scale redevelopment of Salford's core including 849 homes, 390 hotel rooms, 250,000 sq ft of retail and leisure and 2m sq ft of office space.

Cllr Derek Antrobus, Salford City Council lead member for planning, said: "This is an ambition of local people, local businesses as well as the local council. We are delighted our vision to restore Salford's city centre has been taken a step forward today by the approval of this planning application."

The application takes into consideration planning guidance to protect and contribute to the key views in Salford and many of the key vistas will be maximised. Public realm will also play a key part in the regeneration of Central Salford with cycle routes, footpaths and new open spaces included in the design.

The zones in the planning application include:

Irwell Quays. Bounded by Trinity Way and River Irwell, office development, ground floor commercial or retail, multi-storey car park, pedestrian and cycle routes, riverside walk

Commercial Quarter. East of Quays between Salford Central train station and River Irwell. Currently consists of a large surface car park to the south of the station and office blocks. Potential for a hotel providing up to 250 bed spaces and a new multi-storey car park. The Mark Addy public house will be redeveloped and Riverside House will be retained for commercial and leisure use.

Irwell Quays Residential. Apartment-led development on banks of River Irwell. Riverside walk linking to Manchester, Bolton, Bury canal, new cycle routes provided as part of Irwell River Park

Gore Street. Mixed-use development to benefit from station and commercial quarter. Potential for boutique hotel with up to 140 bed spaces, and a landmark building fronting on to Chapel Street. Egerton Arms Hotel and Brown Brothers buildings will remain, latter converted for commercial/office use

Chapel Street South. Mix of apartments above commercial, retail and office floor space. Active frontages on to Chapel Street. Series of individual buildings and blocks, some with private courtyards

Chapel Street North. Historic core of Salford city centre, includes Adelphi and Bexley Square Conservation Area. No changes proposed to existing buildings. Improved public realm, streets and footpaths. New civic square and public space improving the setting of St Philip's church

St Philips Church NE. Family town houses proposed for an area of currently underused cleared space alongside a small number of apartments, reinstating the traditional urban streets

St Philips Church SE. Peel Park Inn and listed Manchester & Salford Savings Bank pub retained and reused for commercial/office use. New family town houses on cleared land. Part of Bank Street to formally enclose St Philip's church square.

Islington Park. The park consists of green space with pedestrian routes through it and is located to the south of Chapel Street. Improvements will be made to the park with an additional area of civic space to enhance and widen the park.

Chapel Street Highways Zone. New square, St John's Place, opposite the cathedral incorporating Chapel Street, to emphasise setting of Salford Cathedral. Reduce vehicle use, greater space for pedestrians, better links across highway.

Adelphi Street. Residential-led mixed-use development of apartments with some townhouses and commercial space around a central courtyard

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford urban regeneration company, said: "Today's decision marks a critical milestone in the regeneration of this key area of the city. Over the past two years Central Salford urban regeneration company, in close partnership with our public and private sector partners, local businesses and communities, has worked tirelessly on the planning, design and consultation for the Chapel Street area.

"We can now look forward to driving forward the regeneration of the Chapel Street area to create a vibrant, urban centre and a more beautiful setting for its many historical and natural assets."

English Cities Fund is a joint venture between Muse Developments, Home & Communities Agency and Legal & General.

On North West Tonight now

It is a huge development but can I just puke at this image:

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/assets/_files/cached/img/800x600/jan_10/pnw__1264081330_Salford_Arches_final03.jpg

Its like a classic cast Iron station in vivid colours, stretched to infinity, and then to make it worse its reflected in the glass of the buildings opposite.

Its a grand plan though, practically rebuilding a city. Looking at National Planning statistics 2004 lists Salfords retail area at 40,000sqm so this is more than half of that, however it seems iffy on the office listing only 20,000sqm, possibly reflecting the lack of a Salford Core, that or their increasing ofice space tenfold which I doubt :P

At least there are some plans to get rid of that vile Bruntwood brown building just over the bridge after CJC , cant remember its name , but i always thought it would be a great location for a tall building .
Salford Central could be a great station if used right .

Pleased that it's going ahead, but that concept for the rail station looks like AIDS.

I predict this won't start for at least a year.

we've had visions by an italian architect (with a funny name), we've had strange blobs over the irwell, we've had proposals for regeneration based around a river park and finally they've settled on a very unspectacular and comprehensive effort from glen howells Architects. You do get the feeling that we could've been at this point 4 years ago. Still, good to see.

Glad to hear of progression, and some parts of the scheme (I've not read into it, so perhaps naive judgments) look good but it still looks, overall, quite shabby. I'm hoping (as this is a long term scheme) that it's still purely indicative.

One major flaw for me is on that last shot, with the multi-coloured apartment/hotel block whatever.. that on the river walkway there is fuck all to do, will anyone feel the need to walk up and down it? Surely one simple, logical idea would be to have retail in the basements of some of these apartment blocks that opens up within the wall that runs along the walkway, a little cafe within the walls etc.. anything to liven it up - it just looks desolate.

I hear them say on the brief mention it had on the late night regional news that they were striving for a new Salford and not some identi-kit, curtained walled generic approach - but the initial renders show little of this aspiration.

Yeh it's all indicitive at the moment, all that is approved is where the buildings will be and what their uses will be etc. Here are the real plans if anyone else wants to see them:

http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KNN1TNNP00B00

ec_3gcbXqzw&feature=player_embedded

I think it's great that they're trying to breathe life back into Chapel Street. It's got such a lot of potential, very little of which is currently being realised. Some of those designs look a bit ropey, but then this is a peripheral location so we can't expect miracles. Still hopefully Salford CC will realise that this is effectively their shop front, and be a bit more discriminating than they have been at mediacity.

let's face it it'll be shit as the money will be coming from a private source. i'd love to see a community involved self-build scheme around central salford (unrelated) like these guys are doing -

http://www.sliderstudio.co.uk/about/company-history/

Just a shame that Salford's industrial history is so completely obliterated outside the most central districts.

The odd church, ale house or cinema represent meagre remains upon which to graft a new district endowed with any kind of character when the teeming eco-system of engineering shops, dye works, foundries and factories have all but disappeared.

the shocking thing is that the demolition of historic salford is going on NOW, still.

Just a shame that Salford's industrial history is so completely obliterated outside the most central districts.

The odd church, ale house or cinema represent meagre remains upon which to graft a new district endowed with any kind of character when the teeming eco-system of engineering shops, dye works, foundries and factories have all but disappeared.

I agree. But the bits of Salford that remain are among the most interesting in the city, because they're relics of the kind of district that has been completely obliterated in Manchester proper.

kids - I don't doubt much of the design will leave a lot to be desired. But I retain hope that the council will demand a quality urban grain for their city centre, rather than an anonymous strip.

News Story from Crain's

Salford's Chapel Street plans approved

By Simon Binns



The biggest-ever planning application in the history of the city of Salford has been approved by the city council.

The application, submitted by English Cities Fund (ECF) with the support of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company (URC), was larger than that submitted for the first phase of MediaCity and will link sites such as the University of Salford and The Crescent, Chapel Street and Manchester's Spinningfields.

The development site covers an area of 17.74 hectares - equivalent to 21 football pitches. The floor space for the proposed development includes: 849 new homes, 390 hotel rooms, 24,000 square metres of retail, food and drink and entertainment space and around 2m sq ft of office space.

Sir Michael Lyons, non-executive chairman of the English Cities Fund, said: “The decision is a significant landmark and lays the foundations for the much-needed regeneration of this area.

“There remains a considerable amount of work to do before development commences however, with the continued support of its partners and the local community, I am confident that ECF will produce a development that Salford can be proud of.”

The proposed regeneration covers a number of districts including Salford Central Station; Chapel Street; Adelphi and the Historic Core, which features the Adelphi and Bexley Square Conservation Area. It also includes listed buildings such as St Philips Church and Salford Cathedral.

The Chapel Street area is being dubbed “the western gateway,” linking Salford to Manchester. New offices, commercial, retail and leisure uses will be complemented by family housing and apartments, which will be linked by new public realm and civic spaces.

A new square, St Johns Place, will be built near the newly-renovated Salford Cathedral and a new Commercial Quarter will link up with Allied London's Spinningfields and Manchester city centre.

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford URC, said: “Today's decision marks a critical milestone in the regeneration of this key area of the City. We can now look forward to driving forward the regeneration of the Chapel Street area to create a vibrant, urban centre and a more beautiful setting for its many historical and natural assets.”

You can't stop the march of progress. Those examples of industrial history probably obliterated Salford's 17th century buildings themselves. Unless you want every city to look like York's Shambles, what can you do?

Chapel Street needs razing to the ground and rebuilding ASAP.

By the way, does anybody have any updates on the Ordsall Lane river corridor redevelopment plans?

I think the biggest concern is that it will take 10-15 years to complete which is ridiculous.
At least it is a start, the planning has been approved, finally, been talks for years, nothing has been done.
It seemed to be a tale of two Manchester, A Manchester that rivals every other European City, and another Manchester which was a dumping ground and lurking behind the shadows.

Salford has been Manchesters dormitory, this strategy seems to be to continue that but to try and take a larger slice of the office market pie. Reading the report it seemed very deferential and was more worried about the negative impact of schemes on Manchester than on itself, however that is part of the governments updated planning guidelines which is to not try and use regeneration as a competition tool, but only as a self improvement tool.

Christ, can we have less of the pessimism here please? It's beginning to sound like the Birmingham forum on here. :nuts:

The plans look absolutely fine to me, it's certainly better than the dross that's there at the moment. It improves connectivity with Manchester and at least gives Salford a start in getting a proper commercial sector going. And considering this is Salford we're talking about (which has always been Manchester's poorer relation) I'd look at these plans positively.

What were people expecting to go here? A new Venice? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

I don't know what people were expecting, I wasn't expecting much myself but what we have is over £300m in investment in an area that desperately needs any investment right now. This, if done right, could be very good for the centre of Manchester. It presents an opportunity for the centre to expand, they can call it anything they like but Chapel Street and that area are just a part of central Manchester that was yet to see development proper like other parts. Only geeks would care that they'd crossed a border.

Christ, can we have less of the pessimism here please? It's beginning to sound like the Birmingham forum on here. :nuts:

The plans look absolutely fine to me, it's certainly better than the dross that's there at the moment. It improves connectivity with Manchester and at least gives Salford a start in getting a proper commercial sector going. And considering this is Salford we're talking about (which has always been Manchester's poorer relation) I'd look at these plans positively.

What were people expecting to go here? A new Venice? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

well what i'd like is architecture that doesn't try and milk every square foot and every pallet of material. that'd be nice for starters.

I never understand this 'it's better than what was there already' mentality.. If i went now and put a potted pansy on the site, it'd be 'better than what was already there'... doesn't warrant dancing bananas and euphoria on here now does it.

With the money and time invested, you'd expect something with that slight wow factor

I think the designs actually look good. Maybe it's just me.

well yeh, the plan is decent. i'm commenting on how it will be finished.

really don't get the whole chapel street hating on here. It only needs a few new decent buildings to fill the gaps, and possibly narrowing the road, and you have one of the best urban stretches in greater manchester.

'chapel street needs razing to the ground', what the fook? have you ever been?

the images look alright. and its great that things are progressing in an area which has loads of potential. but this needs to be a genuine alternative to manchester, not something which holds up a mirror to it. despite what people have said in this thread salford is its own place with its own feel.

as a side note, do masterplans ever work? I don't know if they do. I'd rather see something progress piece by piece, in a more organic fashion, making for a city more spontaneous and exciting. We don't need another spinningfields.

I think the designs actually look good. Maybe it's just me.

The plan as kids says is pretty good (from my lay perspective) but the chance of the developers who actually have to develop it doing so to the standard we would like is questionable. Salford City Council have never appeared to be too exacting in their demands in terms of architecture of design before.

I sometime wonder whether it would be better for Manchester and Salford to create a joing planning authority for the "regional centre" districts, to ensure a greater consistency and quality is maintained throughout the region's economic hub? For example Salford's industrial and Georgian/Victorian buildings are so much more valuable in the context of the whole city and would like to see redevelopment that draws attention to the two cities joint role in the development of the modern world as well as their future.

^^ They are forming a single authority, all the ten Greater Manchester authorities are called a 'Combined Authority'.

Here is the link: www.agma.gov.uk/cms_media/files/agma_city_region_governance_final.pdfnk:

this needs to be a genuine alternative to manchester, not something which holds up a mirror to it

Great post Monkey Rat. Is there a 'hit-the-nail-on-the-head' emoticon?

Salford should play to it's current strengths: great and I mean truly great individual pieces of architecture within this master-plan, combined with the Irwell, the neighbouring canal at Middelwood Locks and the railway arches. It could almost be ready made and this is the huge one-off opportunity to get things right. It should also concentrate on what Manchester lacks, or isn't quite so great at: green open spaces and wider streets. I have added confidence with Felicity Goodey overseeing things. I feel that she's passionate about a comprehensive and appropriate redevelopment and also crucially is capable of delivering.

Chapel St is restricted in this regards, but Salford Crescent is develpors dream, in that it would be pretty hard to ruin what is already there- only the traffic flow really needs addressing. Much of the remainning areas are very much an open sketch book.

Whilst I equally don't agree in many respects with the 'it's better than what was there before' mantra, it does hold some water in that something desperately needs to happen to revitalise the area and this certainly does that.

What efforts are they making to get past the barrier of Trinity Way and the railway arches? Unless something decent is done here, the huge Middlewood locks area could be forever cut off from the city centre. I don't think the tow path along the canal is really sufficient.

'chapel street needs razing to the ground', what the fook? have you ever been?

Eh? I lived there for 2 years. It's a street of derelict buildings, apart from Bexley Square!

Eh? I lived there for 2 years. It's a street of derelict buildings, apart from Bexley Square!

That's incorrect - Granted there are 'some' derelict building (Ye old Nelson and the old drama school etc), but its not a street of derelict buildings - far from it! In the main I agree with the last post of Monkey Rat, all is needed is some of these pockets to be 'filled in, Chapel Street has some great architecture (you correctly state Bexley Sq) and will be a great street in a few years!....I think Manchester and Salford can become like Buda and Pest! Both very different cities intertwined into one great metropolis!

ive only skimmed this thread, so sorry if the answer is already in here, but when is work on this likely to start?

I think that "narrowing" of Chapel Street (to cars) may be the first thing we see happening on the ground, possibly soon.

TITLE: Chapel Street Highway and Public Realm Improvements

The Chapel Street Highway and Public Realm Improvements will achieve:

The creation of a high quality environment to support £650Million private sector investment, 11,000 jobs and 1,700 new homes;

A traffic calmed high street;

Increased space for pedestrians of 89%;

Much improved connections across Chapel Street for pedestrians;

Bus and cycle priority; and

High quality public realm with removal of street clutter, tree planting imaginative lighting and new street signage and furniture.

Subject to the approval of North West Development Agency funding, a start on site is anticipated in February 2010 with completion in May 2011.


Can't come too quickly, traffic speed and volume is holding back the wider area.

beautiful.

wonder how far down Chapel Street this will stretch, and where the traffic will go...

Yep, that appears to be the first planned works, saw this update on it from a SCC meeting last week, to do with the enabling works, encouraging traffic elsewhere before they start work on Chapel St.

2.1. The first element of work required to deliver the public realm improvements on Chapel Street is a package of enabling works remote from Chapel Street itself. These enabling works will facilitate the proposed works at Chapel Street by improving junction capacity at the following locations:

• Regent Road/Oldfield Road
• Broad Street/Albion Way/The Crescent
• Liverpool Street/Albion Way

http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4380&MGP_ID=115

This also seems to be in the pipeline:
http://i49.tinypic.com/k56iaw.jpg

Still no word on the funding for the Spinningfields bridge though, maybe there are still ownership issues...or they didn't get the money.

about time they did something about the traffic speed on chapel street. if you stand waiting to cross the junction with trinity way outside of peak hours the traffic comes tearing down there like its the mulsanne straight at le mans. i always stand well away from the kerb there, just in case someone gets it all wrong and mounts the pavement. if diversionary works are required, then heavy traffic wont be able to use oldfield road as both bridges are currently restricted to a 7.5 tonne weight limit as the bridges are weak.

Still no word on the funding for the Spinningfields bridge though, maybe there are still ownership issues...or they didn't get the money.

Was the image with the new benches shown on tv of the carpark side of the viaduct on Gore Street? The other image on the Irwell was confusing as well. It looked like where the Mark Addy is at Albert Bridge, but without the Mark Addy. Re the bridge at Spinningfields i thought that part of it would be crucial for connecting the station via a more direct walkway across the Irwell.

Still no word on the funding for the Spinningfields bridge though, maybe there are still ownership issues...or they didn't get the money.


Seems to be hanging in the balance still. It can hardly be a priority for Allied London.

Taking the long view: Chapel Street, Salford

The Chapel Street project is meant to revitalise the historic core of Salford and create a new city centre and is being led by Central Salford URC, ECF the preferred developer, Salford City Council and NWDA. In essence, the plan is to traffic-calm what has become a major arterial route into Manchester and improve the pedestrian environment and complement and support new office, leisure, retail and residential development. Links will be improved to Central Salford Station and Manchester’s successful new commercial district, Spinningfields, to the east and also University of Salford’s campus to the west.

Before the recession, it was assumed that a combination of the URC’s guiding
regeneration framework, planning guidance and development briefs and cross-subsidisation by ECF of its less profitable sites by its more profitable schemes would stimulate the necessary investment. ECF had begun to acquire property adjacent to Spinningfields. The latter’s developer, Allied London, had indicated it would contribute half of the cost of a new footbridge across the River Irwell to link the two areas. But market slowdown, the fall in property values and credit restrictions have meant that the NWDA and the URC have had to step in and pay for acquisitions because of the developer’s reluctance and limited scope to incur upfront costs.

The regeneration framework rests on three main principles: exploiting the proximity of Spinningfields, dealing with fragmented land ownership by site acquisition and rationalisation, and creating new public infrastructure. ECF is trying to provide offices for small commercial firms as Spinningfields is supplying offices with larger floorplates. So far, NWDA has undertaken strategic acquisitions and given careful thought to interim arrangements since immediate development is unlikely. In one case, it has acquired a small industrial estate where rents will more than cover holding costs. In most other instances, demolition is necessary which means that Empty Property Rates are not an issue. An upside of the recession has been that NWDA has been able to acquire land and property at current value for less public money than would have been possible two years ago. As a result, most key sites will soon be in partners’ hands. Over the next two to three years, about £8m of NWDA and ERDF will be spent on demolitions and acquisitions, junction works, public realm improvements, and improved pedestrian links. While the fundamentals of the regeneration framework remain sound, it did envisage that apartments would feature early on and partners have had to reassess the land use mix. They are now examining which other elements should fill the gap, such as university spin-out companies or creative enterprises. Chapel Street shows the importance of keeping an eye on the longer term, adaptability of approach and also good relationships and division of labour between the main partners. For example, the URC has brought focus and local capacity and NWDA has been able to leave compulsory purchase matters to the local authority in view of their experience and know-how. ECF has been an approachable and capable development partner.

from a recent Northern Way release

http://www.thenorthernway.co.uk/downloaddoc.asp?id=759

I wish Salford Council well with their plans but they didn't even have the sense to put two little bins outside Salford Station and the bus stops across the road from it which has turned the bottom end of New Bailey Street into a filthy shithole.

I wish Salford Council well with their plans but they didn't even have the sense to put two little bins outside Salford Station and the bus stops across the road from it which has turned the bottom end of New Bailey Street into a filthy shithole.

they dont put bins in or around train stations in case people to take it upon themselves to put bombs in them.

is this regeneration along the irwell going as far as ordsall lane? if so work has already started on demolishing one of the warehouses on the river bank. the workmen have locked all the gates along the irwell tow path on my usual running route to stop the locals thieving the plant equipment. had to double back half a mile to get onto ordsall lane

MEN.

Salford regeneration scheme moves closer
January 27, 2010

THE fate of a massive £650m Salford regeneration scheme now lies in the hands of civil servants in Manchester.
Officials at the Government Office for the North West are studying plans for the multi-million pound Salford Central project, because its sheer size has implications for the entire north west region.

The file has been referred to the Manchester-based office following Salford council’s decision to back the 3.5m sq ft project.

They are expected to reach a conclusion by the spring.

The developer is the English Cities Fund, a company formed by Salford-based Muse Developments, insurance giant Legal & General and the government’s Homes & Communities Agency.

Investment in the 41-acre Salford Central site is expected to take 15 years to complete.

The proposed development includes 849 homes, 390 hotel rooms, 24,000 sq m of retail, food, drink and entertainment space and 197,000 sq m of office space.

A new square, St John’s Place, is planned to make the most of the view of the newly-renovated Salford Cathedral

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, said the council’s support for the scheme marked a critical milestone in the regeneration of a key area of the city.

John Francis, a partner in the Manchester office at DPP, who advised on the plans, said: “This decision is a major milestone in turning the vision for the regeneration of the core of the city into a reality.

“Strong community, business and landowner support has been registered throughout the three years of work by Cities Fund and its partners leading to the application submission.”

The scheme will see new office buildings built across the River Irwell within sight of Manchester’s Spinningfields development.

The hope is that this will expand the commercial core west into the city of Salford. DPP was appointed by English Cities Fund in the summer of 2007 and has steered the plan through the adoption of planning guidance in 2008 to an application for outline planning permission last summer.

9:38 am, March 2, 2010
NWDA grants £10.7m for Chapel Street plans

By Simon Binns



The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has signed off a £10.7m grant to launch the redevelopment of the Chapel Street area in Salford.

The investment will provide the public infrastructure needed for a proposed major mixed-use redevelopment scheme in the heart of the city, which it is hoped will eventually generate more than £650m in private sector investment.

Funding of £8.97m from the NWDA and a further £1.79m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed in the Northwest by the NWDA, will establish new public spaces and highways will which connect future retail, housing, leisure and office developments.

The final scheme will generate around 11,000 jobs, 2.2m sq ft of commercial floor space for office, retail, and leisure development, 849 homes and 390 hotel rooms.

Paul Lakin, director of land and property at the NWDA, said: “The proposals for Chapel Street will create a vibrant new city centre in Salford and I am pleased that this funding means we can begin to turn these plans into reality. The area has huge potential but needs significant public investment to create the type of environment which is essential to attract high levels of private investment.

"It will be a monumental project which will mean more jobs, economic vitality and a better future for both Salford and Manchester."

The redevelopment plans for Chapel Street, led by Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company with development partner English Cities Fund (ECF), were approved by Salford City Council in January.

Works to reduce traffic and create a better physical environment funded by NWDA and ERDF investment will take place in two phases. Chapel Street links Salford, including MediaCity, to Manchester city centre. The Chapel Street corridor also links Salford University’s campus to vacant land around Salford Central Station and the riverbank opposite Spinningfields.

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford URC, said: “This funding enables us to deliver the right infrastructure for Chapel Street to generate 11,000 new jobs and 849 new homes. Importantly, it allows us to get on and deliver what the local community has been telling us they want to revitalise the historic heart of the City.”

1:49 pm, March 1, 2010
Salford creative hub gets £100,000 grant



Islington Mill, a warehouse dedicated to the arts in Salford’s Chapel Street district, is getting a £100,000 to improve its event, gallery and performance space.

The money is coming from Salford City Council, via a programme run by Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company.

The mill is occupied by more than 50 creative entrepreneurs, a gallery space and recording studios.

The first phase is due to begin in May and will see public access improvements on the ground floor as well as creating an improved performance, event and gallery space for the public.

The renovations will enable the mill to increase its number of events, boosting audience numbers and providing more opportunities for local and visiting artists.

The building was acquired by Bill Campbell in 2001, who has turned it into what he described as "a creative hub, which facilitates innovation, ideas and experimentation within the creative sector".

He co-founded Islington Mill Arts Club, an association of artists and creative practitioners based in and around the building.

Campbell said: “Islington Mill has already established itself as a sustainable work space for the creative industries and we have built up a reputation as a place for alternative events and culture throughout the UK. The funding will help us to build on this and make physical improvements to the building so that we can continue to go from strength to strength.”

Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company said it supported the bid for funding in its commitment to the development of Chapel Street as a creative quarter. The funding for the scheme was from CSURC’s approved Business and Investment Plan, which is, in turn funded by the city council’s capital programme.

Chris Farrow from Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company said: “Creativity needs space to flourish. We believe strongly in retaining and attracting the creative industries to the area. The presence of the mill combined with the cultural activity and resources at the University of Salford, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, artists studios, venues and other creative businesses presents an opportunity to make this area of Salford a thriving mixed use quarter with a creative edge.”

There has been ten years of talk. Tens year later, the plans are approved. We are also told, it will take ten years to build (a joke)....

Place North West.

Uni appoints Appleyard for new campus
4 Jun 2010, 09:25


Sale-based quantity surveyor Appleyard & Trew LLP has been selected by Salford University to advise on the £150m first phase of its redevelopment.

The university is preparing a planning application for a new £30m music, media and performance building to replace the Adelphi Building.

The Chapman Building will be refurbished as an art lecture theatre cultural activity centre, costing £4.5m.

Broadwalk, the main route through the university, will be realigned and new infrastructure put in such as gas, electric and water services. There will also be new accommodation blocks for students and a hotel and conference centre.

The value of the contract to Appleyard & Trew LLP, which has worked with Salford University before, was not disclosed.

The cost of delivering the overall masterplan, referred to by the university as Arcadis, is put at £575m.

For those that haven't seen this pdf. http://www.estates.salford.ac.uk/cms/resources/uploads/File/Salford%20University%203rd%20stakeholder%20workshop.pdf

Does anyone know what is going up on the corner of Blackfriars and Greengate West? I have been watching them erect a crane today out of my window

Does anyone know what is going up on the corner of Blackfriars and Greengate West? I have been watching them erect a crane today out of my window

I believe it might be this delightful edifice

06/52400/FUL

Land On Corner Of Blackfriars Street
Greengate West
Salford

Demolition of existing building and erection of multi-storey building (five to ten storey) comprising 61 apartments and one retail unit (Class A1) together with car parking at lower ground level with associated landscaping and new vehicular access

http://i49.tinypic.com/mcyo2p.jpg

The Chapel Street/Greengate area has so much potential. I hope they don't ruin it.

I was walking round there today and thought that the Salford Bridge area would be a nice area for a Metrolink terminus if they ever choose to run trams down Chapel Street to serve the rest of Salford,

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=victoria+street&sll=53.486565,-2.2448&sspn=0.001456,0.003449&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Victoria+St,+Manchester,+Greater+Manchester+M3+1,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.48629,-2.245186&spn=0.001456,0.003449&t=h&z=18

I believe it might be this delightful edifice



Its not a particularly pretty thing, but compared to the derelict, overgrown, rubbish-strewn piece of waste ground that was there before, its acceptable.

They are certainly cracking on with it pretty quickly.

Jeepers Creepy

Thats looks more like a brewery than a city centre build................

Monkey rat and 2020 you may be delighted to know that Salford CC have already proposed this.

http://services.salford.gov.uk/udp-2004/section_197.html

But the intention is for this tram train from Wigan to punch through Manchester city centre, to Piccadilly and onwards to Marple.

It depends on the success of the tram trains in Sheffield.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/8257652.stm
http://www.pteg.net/NR/rdonlyres/A6C2D764-EECE-4363-B506-0075EE7679D8/0/TramTrainBriefingSheetfinal.pdf

And if they are successful, then persuading the ever reluctant Whitehall and Westminster to approve it. Which is the biggest test.

Sleepy, not Creepy! Although the team responsible for said edifice might be considered to be both.

I'm struggling to find anything of any merit in what they're building there...

Sorry Sleepy, must have been erm sleepy.

I might have said this before but in recession hit UK, we can expect more of this. I suppose we can be grateful something is being built. That it isnt another Sarah Tower or car park.

But yeah. It is pretty rank that build if it does emerge like this.

Another new bridge for the Quays.................http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/archive/6399-central-salford-on-hunt-for-river-cash.html

so remind me what the irwell park scheme involves again...is it a continuous walkway along the irwell from the crescent to the quays, with some new bridges helping to complete that?

so remind me what the irwell park scheme involves again...is it a continuous walkway along the irwell from the crescent to the quays, with some new bridges helping to complete that?

Think so..however I was surprised to see a bridge here..

The Irwell City Park idea is so poor, what a waste of money.

It's going to spoil the river views in the centre with all those ridiculous bridges and no-one will want to use it. While Pomona is still sat on by Peel it will involve walking through quiet, run-down, weed strewn bad lands before arriving at Salford Quays.

The plans are so vague, other than the bridge obsession. I don't understand how this is a 'park' in the slightest. The council should be devoting their efforts instead to pulling together funds to buy some wasteland in the centre and creating a real city park.

The Irwell City Park idea is so poor, what a waste of money.
.

Creating decent walkways connecting the sections of the river currently blocked by roads and buildings is a great idea, especially for us that live in the area where areas like this are few and far between, somewhere for people to walk to places away from the main roads.

Creating decent walkways connecting the sections of the river currently blocked by roads and buildings is a great idea, especially for us that live in the area where areas like this are few and far between, somewhere for people to walk to places away from the main roads.

i agree with blackfriars. the chance of being able to see some nature and greenery in salford should be jumped on as there isnt a lot else to look at around here. the route would run on the ordsall lane side of the irwell rather than the pomona island side surely?

i still dont understand the point of putting in a footbridge near the trafford road bride or near black friars bridge. surely the route would be imperial war museum - media city - salford quays - ordsall lane - spinningfields - lowery hotel - black friars - MEN - broughton - lower broughton - salford uni....all without changing sides of the river (apart from media city)...

The Irwell City Park idea is so poor, what a waste of money.

It's going to spoil the river views in the centre with all those ridiculous bridges and no-one will want to use it. While Pomona is still sat on by Peel it will involve walking through quiet, run-down, weed strewn bad lands before arriving at Salford Quays.

The plans are so vague, other than the bridge obsession. I don't understand how this is a 'park' in the slightest. The council should be devoting their efforts instead to pulling together funds to buy some wasteland in the centre and creating a real city park.

Can't agree with that. Sure, some parts are poorly designed (such as the new bridge in the city centre, and the Greengate redevelopment leaves a lot to be desired) but the principle behind the idea is sound.

Increasing mobility between Manchester, Salford and Trafford, especially at the two main economic centres of the region - the City Centre and the Quays, makes economic sense.

All great cities make use of their river space, but at the moment we don't. Placing the river area at the commercial heart of the city region means development is more likely to take place on both sides of the Irwell (rather than just on the Manchester side as is currently the case in the city centre).

i still dont understand the point of putting in a footbridge near the trafford road bride or near black friars bridge. .

Nor do I. A new bridge there would only be a few feet away from Victoria Bridge Street, surely they could just pedestrianize that. Its hardly a busy street

its a shame the salford and manchester dont have the capacity to raise more money themselves to attract development. little things like the irwell city park, help improve the image and infrastructure of the city, which then attracts private investment at a later date.

its a shame the salford and manchester dont have the capacity to raise more money themselves to attract development. little things like the irwell city park, help improve the image and infrastructure of the city, which then attracts private investment at a later date.

agreed.

i still dont understand the point of putting in a footbridge near the trafford road bride or near black friars bridge. surely the route would be imperial war museum - media city - salford quays - ordsall lane - spinningfields - lowery hotel - black friars - MEN - broughton - lower broughton - salford uni....all without changing sides of the river (apart from media city)...[/QUOTE]



Neither do I, when I saw the render it was the first I knew of this

From the Manchester Water Taxi website:

Revised business plan submitted to Peel for consderation. Fingers crossed we're still on target to launch April 2011. Meeting URC 28/06/2010 09:21:07 AM June 09, 2010 from web

www.manchesterwatertaxi.com

According to his twitter the revised business plan is using only one boat.

A crane has gone up next to the Renault garage on Trinity Way , does anyone know what its for ?

A crane has gone up next to the Renault garage on Trinity Way , does anyone know what its for ?

last post, previous page mate

does anyone know anything more about the proposed builds on the site that is now a car park between the railway, trinity way and chapel street? i remember seeing something a couple of years ago saying planning permission had been obtained for a new development of flats.

you'll have to be a bit more specific than that!

you'll have to be a bit more specific than that!

thats all ive got sadly. i remember getting the letter just before the crash saying planning permission had been sought and just after saying it had been granted. i dont know whether it was part of the central salford redevelopments that the council are plugging or not. was for a mixed use development covering the site of the two adjacent car parks next to trinity way at its border with chapel street.

ahh you mean this -

http://i46.tinypic.com/2cys08i.png

then that is zone D of the larger masterplan application (the hybrid planning application (detailed and outline) for the proposed regeneration and redevelopment of Salford Central) that was granted earlier this year

http://i50.tinypic.com/2akk2f4.png

full docs here (http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KNN1TNNP00B00) (associated docs > PL amended docs 2)

ok thanks for that. any odds on what the chances of this seeing the light of day in the next 10 years are?

Heres another decision thats being appealed at the the moment, apart-hotel scheme on Bloom Street, refused permission in April:
http://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KDGHPHNP00400


http://i37.tinypic.com/13ykqbd.jpg (http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06348559.pdf)
http://iclipseweb.salford.gov.uk/AnitePublicDocs/06348559.pdf

The appeal was dismissed last month, little summary,
The inspector considered that the main issue was the effect of the proposal on the street scene and the setting of neighbouring listed buildings.

The inspector acknowledged that a suitable infill development would bring a welcome enhancement to the street scene and that the proposed uses were acceptable. He considered though that the scale of the building was dictated by its domestic floor to ceiling heights and that the recessed ground floor would appear squat adjacent to the Kings Arms.

The Inspector considered that the building would be considerably taller than its immediate neighbours and that the design did not disguise the buildings mass as a six storey development. He considered that the strongly horizontal glazed element of the upper floors conflicted with the vertical proportions of the remainder of the façade and that the building would appear top-heavy. He agreed with the City Council’s point made in the appeal statement that the metal-clad flank walls of the upper floors would tend to overdominate.

The Inspector considered that the height of the proposed building would challenge the visual dominance of the Model Lodging House. He did not agree that the building should be set back from the edge of pavement allowing the Kings Arms to be readily seen, his view was that this served only to expose part of the blank gable of the building.

With regard to materials the Inspector considered that zinc cladding and matching brickwork was appropriate but that the relative amount of each material was critical. Adding further to the palette of materials was not appropriate.

Taken overall, the Inspector concluded that the design did not provide an adequate response to the sensitive context and that it would have an unsatisfactory relationship with the Kings arms and with the Model lodging House and would not make a positive contribution to the setting of these buildings as required by national planning policy or by UDP policies DES1, ST15 and CH2.

The inspector considered that the effect on neighbours was minor and not a reason for refusal.

The appeal was dismissed

taken from this report,
http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar_documents/APPEALS150710.DOC
http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4616&MGP_ID=82

Its the second appeal for apps on the site that's been dismissed.

PI links,
http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?casename=APP/U4230/A/09/2113781&caseaddress=COO.2036.300.8.2499217
http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?casename=APP/U4230/A/09/2093449&caseaddress=COO.2036.300.8.1004994

ok thanks for that. any odds on what the chances of this seeing the light of day in the next 10 years are?

I think it simply depends on whether the regeneration companies involved can find the money. I don't really know.

Anyway here's a poetic little scheme in Langworthy -

10/59083/FUL

Alder Street
Salford
M6 5ND

Erection of 16 dwelling houses with associated car parking and landscaping

http://i31.tinypic.com/xq01as.jpg

Good to see new stuff from MBLA

This looks quite interesting, CPO info, for a Planning LMB meeting next Tuesday,

http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4637&MGP_ID=115

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: On 3rd September 2008 the Lead Member for Planning approved, in principle, the use of the Council’s compulsory purchase powers to assemble land for the Salford Central regeneration project.

Further to this decision the acquisition of land and property interests has been progressed, where possible, by agreement and the redevelopment proposals themselves have now been granted outline planning consent.

In order to be able to progress the redevelopment proposals it will be necessary to ensure that title and possession of all the land and property required for delivery of the scheme can be obtained and it is now considered appropriate to further support the regeneration by the making of a planning compulsory purchase order.

Negotiations to acquire by agreement will continue in parallel with the compulsory purchase process.

2.3 The Council and ECf between them already own nearly 50% of the Order Land and negotiations with the remaining owners will continue with a view to achieving the voluntary acquisition of all the interests in the Order Land which are needed to facilitate the development.

http://i26.tinypic.com/rbxhyf.jpg

looks to also be some discussion at Cabinet, behind closed doors, on Chapel St funding,

B PART 2 NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
B1 Chapel Street Regeneration Funding
http://services.salford.gov.uk/solar/showmeeting.asp?ID=4560&MGP_ID=19

The regeneration of this area is long overdue. its meant to be salford city centre, but there is nothing there but a long line of burnt out pubs.

Salford Good Design Awards

Applications are now being accepted for the Salford Good Design Awards.

The deadline is 4.30pm on Friday 17 September 2010.

The council's dedication to design remains at the forefront of the city's agenda with the launch of the council's own Good Design Awards. We are seeking to reward the most innovative development schemes and striking restoration projects. Successful schemes will be honoured at an awards ceremony at Salford Quays in November.

The council's commitment to quality in the design of the built environment was established in 2008 with the launch of its highly acclaimed design guide, "Shaping Salford (http://www.salford.gov.uk/designspd.htm)", which was welcomed by government design watchdog CABE and supported by renowned designer Wayne Hemingway.

Today, the sought-after quality and distinctiveness of place are widely visible in the city's buildings and public spaces. Everyday life has been enriched, aspirations raised and new standards set. The tangible improvements in the cityscape have prompted the council to seek to reward those who have spurred on the revitalisation of the city.

The Design Awards seek to recognise and reward design achievement in a range of forms. Including awarding residential, commercial and public sector buildings as well as public realm and public art schemes, masterplanning, and conservation.

The conservation award is of special significance as it commemorates Salford's Conservation Officer Joe Martin, a well known and much respected champion of Salford's built heritage. To continue his work, the award will go to a project which is centred on the sensitive treatment of Salford's built heritage.

Further information is available for applicants, including details of eligibility, judging criteria and supporting evidence.


Ceremony to be held in telephone box?

Resisting the temptation to be churlish, this is good to see.

The development on the corner of Greengate and Blackfriar's Road (Delta Point?) is coming on at quite a lick. Are there any decent plans/artists impressions? The only ones I saw were very small and (I think) out of date...

this is probably the best you'll find,

http://gwicparchitects.co.uk/site/residential.php

it's fairly horrible...

this is probably the best you'll find,

http://gwicparchitects.co.uk/site/residential.php

it's fairly horrible...

Thanks for that. You're right, it ain't pretty, and soon it will block my view of the city. A friend of mine asked one of the builders how tall it would be and he said 7 storeys but it mentions 10...

Thanks for that. You're right, it ain't pretty, and soon it will block my view of the city. A friend of mine asked one of the builders how tall it would be and he said 7 storeys but it mentions 10...

It is an ugly building. Are you in Whitefriar Court if its gonna block your view? My mate said him and our tennants asscociation had involvement or kept informed of the designs or something. they must have been threatened with hot pokers if they thought that was a winning design

...

It is an ugly building. Are you in Whitefriar Court if its gonna block your view? My mate said him and our tennants asscociation had involvement or kept informed of the designs or something. they must have been threatened with hot pokers if they thought that was a winning design

I'm in Riverbank Tower and it will almost completely block my view of Spinningfields and the Beetham. At least the wasteland it's replacing has gone...

when does this start??????????????????????????????????????/

Already built up to second storey. Must be one of the few things going up in and around Manc/Salford right now..

Must be one of the few things going up in and around Manc/Salford right now..

At ''new" Broughon off Great Clowes St builders have been busy 6 - 7 days a week cracking on with finishing the new housing estate. The new apartments still don't seem to have full occupancy yet and they've been open a while

First phase of improvements to Salford's Chapel Street completes
11th August 2010

By Mike Fahy - Assistant Editor

THE FIRST phase of a programme to improve the Chapel Street area of central Salford has been completed with a reception held in the grounds of the city's Cathedral.

An event which saw members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra serenade local dignitaries and residents yesterday at Salford Cathedral's Creation Cafe yesterday marked the completion of public realm improvement works funded by English Cities Fund.

The work involved the creation of green walkways around Bexley Square and the creation of new walkways and gardens to the west of the cathedral. New street furniture and lighting has also been installed and damaged walls, railings and gates have been repaired.

Urban Vision worked as architects on the project, Birse Civils was main contractor and Ashlea was the landscape contractor.

Chris Farrow, chief executive of Central Salford's Urban Regeneration Company said that improvements to public areas of Chapel Street were important as it is at the core of regeneration plans for the City of Salford, linking Salford's university at one end to a proposed new corporate centre around Salford Central station at the other.

“It is our vision to re-connect communities by creating beautiful community spaces and walkways by investing in public realm improvements such as this," he said.

"Today’s event marks the first phase of these long-term plans which, when completed, will reveal Salford’s hidden gems.

“The next stages of the programme will see improvements underway in the Ordsall neighbourhood this Autumn.”

Plans for Chapel Street involve traffic calming-measures along the A6 with improved public transport links. Funding was secured for this from the North West Regional Development in February and work recently started on site. It is due to complete by the end of next year.

The English Cities Fund's plans for the wider area involves residential, commercial, leisure, hotel and retail developments. The final scheme will generate some 11,000 jobs, 220,000 sq m of commercial floor space for office, retail, and leisure development, 849 homes and 390 hotel rooms.

Councillor Ray Mashiter, Salford City Council's executive support member for planning, said: "The Cathedral Gardens have been developed for the benefit of residents and are an important part of the regeneration of the Chapel Street area.

"Public spaces like this will help to attract investment into central Salford and the completion of the gardens shows our plans to transform Chapel Street are becoming real."

Funny, I went passed there a couple of nights ago and saw blue neon strips in the pavement near the New Oxford. Thought I hadn't seen that before. Good to see it starting, but it's painfully slow progress!

Business Desk.

CENTRAL Salford Urban Regeneration Company is to submit three application to the new £100m Jessica fund in a bid to get key elements of its proposed redevelopment schemes moving as quickly as possible.

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/assets/_files/cached/img/310x222/aug_10/businessdesk__1282728021_Briidge-Mark_Addy_View_SpinBr2.jpg?access=604T059T840

The URC's chief executive, Chris Farrow, said that the organisation will apply for funding for the the Soapworks, Greengate and the development of the Chapel Street corporate area. The latter is likely to be the most challenging.

Central Salford URC and English Cities Fund gained outline planning approval for the largest planning application ever submitted by to Salford City Council in January of this year for the regeneration of Chapel Street, but it will have to contend with landlords of existing developments such as the Ralli Courts and Griffin Courts buildings near Salford Central station whose properties stand in the way of its plans to create 197,000 sq m of offices linking to Spinningfield's and other city centre developments.

Farrow said that Central Salford's focus was understandably turning towards Central Salford and the Greengate scheme now that work on the first phase of MediaCityUK was nearing completion.

A ceremony marking the start of £7m worth of public realm improvements to a stretch of Chapel Street leading from the city centre to the university got underway last week, and the organisation's next challenge is to work with English Cities Fund on acquiring some of the derelict and abandoned properties in the area - through compulsory purchase orders, where necessary.

Farrow said that some of the properties were owned by companies with registered offices in the Cayman Islands and other overseas destinations who had thus far proved "unresponsive" to attempts to engage with them about plans to improve the area.

He added that he expects the legals to be completed on Spinningfields Bridge - the bridge linking the new Central Salford corporate area to Spinningfields - to be completed by the end of the month. A start on site is expected by November with the bridge being completed next July.

Spinningfields has been a major bonus as it has shifted the compass of thew city westwards and towards Chapel Street," he said.

Farrow argued that as an organisation, he expected Central Salford URC to be largely unaffected by funding cuts to the North West regional development agency, as funding had been committed to all but one of the major public realm improvements the URC is overseeing.

He also said that the URC had provided better value for money than many other organisations. It has a staff of just 20 compared with more than 100 at New East Manchester and he argued that its original remit had been to lever in £500m worth of private sector funding, which had already been surpassed.

"Our level of ambition has moved way beyond that," he said.

taps foot impatiently...they better hurry up and get on with this. im fed up of living on a road that looks like down town nagasaki, circa 1946.

From Property Week http://www.propertyweek.com/news/news-by-sector/retail/tescos-salford-plans-outdated-says-cabe/5006190.article

Tesco's Salford plans "outdated" says CABE

Plans for a Tesco superstore in Salford have been criticised by CABE, the government’s architecture watchdog, as “outdated” and “inefficient.”

In a design review released yesterday CABE said the site in the centre of Pendleton, in a “traffic constrained” part of town, presented an opportunity to “heal this traffic-dominated centre by enhancing connections to surrounding neighbourhoods, providing public spaces that support community cohesion and buildings and uses that can sustain the life of this centre into the future.”

“We see nothing in the proposals that would indicate such considerations have been taken into account,” CABE said.

“Rather, the model of development proposed risks seriously undermining the long-term regeneration of Pendleton by failing to adequately consider the site’s integration with its context.”

CABE also said that the design, which would see the supermarket developed on “stilts” was “outdated”.






And a link to CABE's review. http://www.cabe.org.uk/design-review/tesco-store-salford

......

Site planning

In our view, the premise of a large supermarket on stilts surrounded by a sea of car parking is an outdated out-of-town model that has no relevance in this urban situation. This car-focussed solution represents an inefficient use of land and sterilises the environment around the building, inhibiting pedestrian movement across the area. The chance to turn Pendleton Way into a more comfortable, people-focussed route, by fronting it with active building frontages, is missed by placing the building at the centre of the site. No meaningful relationship is established with Shopping City and connections across Pendleton Way do nothing to suggest the potential downgrading of this route.

We think the change in levels across the site could be used much more imaginatively to help address these failings. Double-stacking the car parking would free up land that could more usefully serve other uses either now or in future phases of development. Likewise, burying the service yard and dotcom area into the landscape would be more considerate than the proposed solution which has a long high fence as sound barrier and a landscape ‘buffer’ to residents living opposite on Seedley Road. Such features are likely only to divorce these communities from the shops and facilities there to serve them. Concealing the service yard by decking it with a park along this boundary would be one way of giving local people amenity they could actually use rather than just observe from a distance. Equally, instead of squandering land on a separate access for the petrol filling station this element could be consolidated alongside the service yard and car parking entrances to the north.

....

thanks sleepy. i'm not sure how i missed this application.

http://i55.tinypic.com/35iue69.png

they're absolutey right of course. this piece of shit would completely derail the regeneration efforts in pendleton in Langworthy if approved as it'd be like Salford saying "yeh well pendleton's shit anyway" - meanwhile dooming it to be shit for at least another generation. so yeh, what cabe said, fuck off tesco.

Salford House 4 Life
Date:
27 September 2010
Press release contact:
Julia Davies
T: +44 (0)113 234 1335
E: julia.davies@inst.riba.org
Submissions are invited for an open two stage competition to design a visionary family housing scheme on a 1.45ha brown-field site in the heart of the Greengate area of Salford across from Manchester City Centre. The competition is being organised and managed by RIBA Competitions on behalf of Central Salford URC, Salford City Council, Centre for Construction Innovation North West (CCINW), British Research Establishment, Salford University and NHS Salford. ...

http://www.architecture.com/NewsAndPress/News/CompetitionNews/Press/NewCompetitions/2010/SalfordHouse4Life.aspx

http://www.salfordhouse4life.com/



Great credit is due to the promoters of this new RIBA competition (http://www.architecture.com/NewsAndPress/News/CompetitionNews/Press/NewCompetitions/2010/SalfordHouse4Life.aspx).

To borrow a phrase coined by Vince Cable, this should help 'shine a bright light' into the dysfunctional business model adopted by the housebuilding industry that seems to work well for directors and shareholders but has failed to consistently deliver a decent product for consumers, particularly on sites like this need something other than the standard approach.

From Place North West http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/archive/7635-salford-names-winners-of-design-awards.html

Salford names winners of design awards

http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/assets/_files/cached/img/402x268.134/sep_10/pnw__1283944349_Media_City_night_shot_crop.jpg

12 Nov 2010, 10:17

Michael Hunt
The city council revealed the winners of its inaugural Good Design Awards on Wednesday night at the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays.

The ceremony was sponsored by Ask Developments and around 150 architects, developers and clients attended to see their contributions to Salford's built environment celebrated. The awards were open to buildings completed between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2010.

The overall winner was Salford Cathedral Centre designed by Bate and Taylor Architects for Salford Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees.

article continues... (http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/archive/7635-salford-names-winners-of-design-awards.html)

From Place North West http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/archive/7635-salford-names-winners-of-design-awards.html The Islington Estate also entered the Best Masterplan Award under Islington Estate Neighbourhood Planning, we did get shortlisted but nothing more. The Chapel Street Regeneration was the winner, of which we are still part although excluded from the outline planning application. This is one of the first achitect impressions how Arthur Millwood Court and Canon Hussey Court could look like:
http://www.theislingtonestate.com/amcchc002.jpg
after a long wait of many many years and trying to make our case:Presentation to the Chapel Street Regeneration Forum 12 March 2010 (http://www.theislingtonestate.com/Chapel_Street_Regeneration_Forum_12_March_2010_PDF.pdf):bash:

taps foot impatiently...they better hurry up and get on with this. im fed up of living on a road that looks like down town nagasaki, circa 1946.

Same but highly doubt it is going to be built or anything is going to happen to chapel street and surrounding areas.

They talked about it for years and years and even during the "good times"- did anything happen? Nope.

Central Salford URC to be axed

17th November 2010

CENTRAL Salford Urban Regeneration Company, the organisation which was responsible for overseeing inward investment projects such as the Chapel Street Regeneration scheme and the Exchange Greengate project, is to be axed.

The organisation's staff of around 20, including chief executive Chris Farrow, have been notified of the decision and have now entered into a consultation period over the future of their posts.

The decision was taken to wind the company up following the loss of two of its three sources of principal funding - the North West Regional Development Agency and the Homes and Communities Agency.

The body's other funder, Salford City Council has said that it wants to work with private developers in the area to find a way of continuing the momentum built by the organisation in schemes such as Media City, Chapel Street and Irwell River Park. It said that for every £1 of public money spent, it has secured more than £10 of private investment and the largest and most successful programme of regeneration outside the London 2012 Olympics.

Leader of Salford City Council, Cllr John Merry said: "We asked the URC to help transform the central part of the City and the future of its people. Working together we have already delivered huge levels of investment and confidence from the private sector.

"Despite the challenges of multi-million pound public spending cuts facing the City, we are determined not to lose the momentum built up by the URC. Working with others we will find a way to build on that success and we have every confidence that the development community will support the City Council in this task."

CSURC chairman Felicity Goodey said: "I have been overwhelmed by the strength of confidence and support expressed by investors in Central Salford and the URC team. We set out with an ambitious vision and thanks to the strength of the partnership we have with Salford and its people we have delivered far more than ever promised."

Same but highly doubt it is going to be built or anything is going to happen to chapel street and surrounding areas.

They talked about it for years and years and even during the "good times"- did anything happen? Nope.

Well even I've witnessed over a decade of inaction. In fact it has got worse as the only buildings worth saving burnt down one by one. Oh they put some purple hoardings and made Bexley Sq prettier.. will it be another decade before we see anything happen?

:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Chapel Street project looks shaky with the axing of the regeneration company. Another article.

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1371563_salford_regeneration_firm_axed_after_funding_blows

The Islington Estate also entered the Best Masterplan Award under Islington Estate Neighbourhood Planning, we did get shortlisted but nothing more. The Chapel Street Regeneration was the winner, of which we are still part although excluded from the outline planning application. This is one of the first achitect impressions how Arthur Millwood Court and Canon Hussey Court could look like:
http://www.theislingtonestate.com/amcchc002.jpg
after a long wait of many many years and trying to make our case:Presentation to the Chapel Street Regeneration Forum 12 March 2010 (http://www.theislingtonestate.com/Chapel_Street_Regeneration_Forum_12_March_2010_PDF.pdf):bash:

OMG, that looks awfull :ohno:

I don't actually mind the second one, I shouldn't like it - but I do :| The 1st one however is truly awful.

those two towers would look great reclad in the same way as the ones just off chester road by the church have been recently.

those two towers would look great reclad in the same way as the ones just off chester road by the church have been recently.

That is what we are hoping, they were launched Tuesday 9 November 2010 by Sir Richard Leese: City South Manchester Housing Trust News (http://www.citysouthmanchester.co.uk/news_publications/news_stories/transform_hulme_complete.htm) & Sir Richard Leese Blog (http://www.manchester.gov.uk/blog/leadersblog/post/413) design by 2e: 2e Portfolio (http://www.edelmannandebling.com/portfolio.php?id=4).

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/hulme-skyline-complete-190_1.jpg

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/hulme-skyline-complete-190_2.jpg

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/hulme-skyline-complete-190_3.jpg

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/hulme-skyline-complete-190_4.jpg

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/hulme-skyline-complete-190_5.jpg

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/hulme-skyline-complete-190_6.jpg

Anything is better then they look now, and I prefer the white over the brown:

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/mp_019.jpg

Rainscreen cladding is much nicer then render, but more expensive, this is how Nine Acre Court in Ordsall could look like, keep you posted:

http://www.theislingtonestate.com/mp_020.jpg

I don't see the need for some dull colours of the rainscreen. These are people's homes, why dark grey? So unwelcoming and industrial estate looking, it should be something lighter and cheerful, more organic looking.

they do look totally shagged out at the minute those two towers. the whole estate is in need of an overhaul to be honest. a mate of mine used to live in the one on the left but moved out in the 80s. there used to be a row of shops on as well which are no longer there. shame they cant be resurrected as there isnt the much in the way of shops round that bit of salford.

Salford Star's piece on the URC

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=764

well now it looks like their time is up maybe they'll actually deliver something in the next eighteen months. i'd like to see a more sustainable approach toward redevelopment, maybe with their skills they can empower individuals and help form housing cooperatives, now that yuppie developers aren't (can't be) interested in us anymore. they'll probably do something with peel tho.

btw the tesco at the precinct has been approved. my dad is delighted but i am gutted. salford city is no longer a tesco superstore free zone.

But there's always been a tesco there anyway!! Ok, not a massive one, but big enough to do most of your weekly shop in!

The whole precinct needs levelling and starting again!

yeh, and the exact opposite of what should be happening at salford precinct is the plonking of another mega shed further disintegrating it from langworthy. whenever i walk to the precinct, at least, i cross this site. i'm not saying it's going to be impossible now, but it will definately be less appealing with the level of traffic that there will be.

i have been walking over princes bridge a fair bit of late and its only after dark that you realise just how badly in need of development this whole area is. its right in the middle of greater manchester, yet the whole area is totally abandoned. i can only imagine what it was like before the bypass was built...

there are some scenes of old salford in this - shelagh delaney's salford. she also talks about the dislocation of people that was current when this was made.

iXmMsOBrx9g

I'm with Chgomook. I don't think that Tesco is THE poblem, it's the precinct, a ****hol surrounded by dualled roads. If I remember right this current plan came around after years of Tesco and SCC trying to get the (previous) owners on board to do the precinct/integrate the developments.

And yes, the East Lancs destroyed what ws on of Salford's main streets.

I'd prefer to see a linear shopping/mixed use development built along Broadwalk, which would connect the wider area with the two important nodes of the railway station and University, as well as towards Chapel Street and the Regional/City Centre.

Broadwalk is poorly looked over and not really a decent place to walk or cycle through during the hours of darkness, because residential properties back onto, rather than face it, despite redevelopment in the early 1990s.

Existing site could then be levelled for other development (perhaps an expanded University) or employment/business district, once Salford Quays is fully developed?

It could be the Salford/Gtr Manchester of (Amsterdam's) Zuidas!

Meanwhile, this unit is STILL empty, TWO years after refurbishment! How can a company so heavily subsidised by the taxpayer get away with this?

£64.2k pa. +VAT! Don't they know there is a recession on? If this was a privately owned residential property, the local authority would have acquisitioned it under the Empty Homes Strategy.

http://property.networkrail.co.uk/downloads/74/0/Bailey_Street_brochure.pdf.aspx

the application for the demolition of the URC in Ordsall went in for decision the other week and has been "deferred".

committee on 02/12/2010

cheers jrb for the heads-up. approved at committee

£25m media college gets green light

Ailsa Cranna and Neal Keeling

December 09, 2010
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Plans for a new £25m specialist media college in Salford Quays have been given the go-ahead.

Salford council’s planning committee approved a proposal to move the Oasis Academy, currently based on Eccles Old Road in Pendleton, to MediaCityUK in Ordsall.

The academy, which will have 1,150 students, will be built on the site of the Salford Central United Reformed Church, on the corner of Broadway and Trafford Road.

The decision comes despite an independent report saying it should not go ahead.

Objectors had also voiced concerns that the Victorian church is another local landmark that will disappear from the Salford skyline.

Head of the current academy, Patrick Ottley-O’Connor, said: "We are going to build an academy which will not only be an integral part of MediaCity, but will also transform the surrounding community and we are looking forward to getting the project started. While a new building by itself does not improve results, we know from other academies that a new building definitely inspires students to increase their learning opportunities. We are looking forward to our positive future."

Lead member for planning, Councillor Derek Antrobus, said: "I am sure this academy will bring great educational benefits to Salford – it is, after all, at the very entrance to MediaCity.

"However, it seems to me that just because a public body like Oasis says one thing, namely that the academy will be of great benefit to the children of Salford, it doesn’t mean that we can ignore our responsibilities to protect our cultural heritage."

As part of the agreement, a multi-agency committee will be set up between Salford council, Oasis, and other bodies to discuss, among other things, the future siting of the church’s war memorial plaque, and possible sports provision on site for residents.

Due to open in 2012, the new building will have close links to the MediaCityUK development where the BBC is moving five departments.

However, the 21st Century Commission’s preliminary report on the secondary school sector, published last month, said there were currently 470 students at the Academy’s main school and 40 in the sixth form. The report recommended that it should instead merge with nearby Buile Hill High School on the Buile Hill site.

But Mr Ottley-O’Connor said the commission’s report had been compiled several months ago and since then the student roll in the main school had risen to 518 and was projected to rise further.

Councillor John Merry, leader of Salford council, said: "The new academy is an exciting educational and community asset and pupils will benefit from its location and close links to the BBC."

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1388546_25m_media_college_gets_green_light#comments

another one bites the dust.

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2712/salunitdrefccha7123.jpg

comment from salford star

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE ARROGANT RIDERS OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT AWARD goes to…


SALFORD CITY COUNCIL!

Yes, the arrogant riders of the white elephant are those from Salford City Council who insist on continuing with the much criticised, controversial Oasis Academy MediaCityUK.

Against all logic the Council granted the Oasis Academy planning permission last week. Here's a bit of history, in the longest commendation in the history of the MARYS…It's long but it's shocking!

Oasis Academy MediaCityUK replaced Hope High School and is currently based up on Eccles Old Road. It was due to move to a more "desirable" location at Salford Quays this year but the date has now been moved to 2012. It was granted planning permission to build on the site of the historic Salford Mission (URC Church) which will now be flattened. Here's everything you need to know…

• Oasis Academy MediaCityUK isn't classified as a `faith school', although it's run by Oasis Community Learning, part of Oasis UK which also runs Oasis Church Salford. Its founder Rev Steve Chalke, preaching at the Salford church, stated "we will end up with a church which is also a school…a school that is also a church…" (more details here)

• It's been well questioned whether the Salford Quays site is suitable for a school – it's on one the busiest main roads in Salford (Trafford Road) and new `super crossings' for kids coming from Ordsall have just been cancelled due to spending cuts.

• There's no playing fields and students will have to bussed out to Stott Lane, 2.5km away.

• The recent independent 21st Century Commission report on the future of Salford's schools noted: "Although the site is situated close to the tram link between Eccles and Manchester, north south transport links are not good. The site is compact and situated between two busy roads. Outdoor space for recreation and sport would be limited and pupils would have to be transported to playing fields."

• The Oasis Academy is all style over content. The 21st Century Commission noted that "The site proposed for the development has been chosen because of its proximity to the Quays and because it is felt it will make an iconic statement about the importance of education in the inner city".

• This backs up Salford Star research which showed that the Academy is being built to fit the image of MediaCityUK rather than as a great place to put a school. A few years ago a Salford Council report looking into possible future sites for the school stated that being near to Salford Quays was "a fundamental priority". The report added that "the most logical options" were the Blodwell Street and Churchill Way sites but both had "image issues". Two sites in Ordsall itself, just across Trafford Road from the Quays, were written off because one was "not as desirable as Salford Quays" and, for the other, "perceptions of the area may affect enrolment" (more details here)

• Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company isn't happy that the school, on an "important gateway site", won't have a "strong building corner feature" and insisted, as part of its planning permission, that the corner site has "strong vertical elements in the form of flagpoles and planting". So much for `the importance of education in the inner city'.

• The Academy is well out of the catchment area for the former Hope High school - according to a 2006 census, over 60% of pupils for Hope High were drawn from the local area. The new school is nowhere near the old site.

• The 900 place Academy (plus a 250 place 6th Form) is also estimated by Salford City Council's own figures to be over 65% empty by the academic year 2014/15. The 21st Century Commission report added: "Current numbers at the Academy are 470 in the main school with 40 students in the 6th form. Projections from the local authority are that this number will fall to 329 in the main school by 2016/17. On this basis, even if the projections are very pessimistic, it is difficult to see the 1,150 places being needed in the foreseeable future."

• A Salford Council report this year revealed that it expects "approximately 300" of the school's places to be taken up by kids from other authorities within the Greater Manchester area. But the 21st Century Commission reports that other schools in neighbouring boroughs have the same idea to provide media skills schools for MediaCityUK, which will provide "competition".

• The Oasis Academy is the least favoured school in Salford, according to figures issued by the Manchester Evening News (see here). This year there were only 87 first choice applications for the school, for 180 places.

• The 21st Century Commission report advised: "Despite the advanced stage of planning, put on hold the building of the new Academy at the Quays and merge the current Oasis Academy with Buile Hill into a new trust school or an Academy on the Buile site."

All this, and yet Salford City Council is ploughing ahead with support for the Oasis Academy MediaCityUK – which isn't even under its control.

In response to the independent 21st Century Commission report Salford Council states…

"The City Council Cabinet is clear that the Oasis Academy development will continue to go ahead as planned; and therefore as a consequence this aspect of the report is not being put forward for future comment and response."

Arrogance of the highest extreme, we think.

Ladies and Gentlemen. THE ARROGANT RIDERS OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT AWARD goes to…

SALFORD CITY COUNCIL!!!

i got a nice shiny brochure through from salford council this week advising me of the upcoming plans to completely regenerate chapel street. i thought this had been moved to a status of 'extremely unlikely any time soon'?

Not sure what the best thread would be for the below...


http://www.salfordonline.com/localnews_page/25518-proposed_overhaul_of_salford_crescent_train_station.html


"Network Rail have revealed new plans for improving the facilities at Salford's Crescent train station, which will cost in the region of £12 million."

Not sure what the best thread would be for the below...


http://www.salfordonline.com/localnews_page/25518-proposed_overhaul_of_salford_crescent_train_station.html


"Network Rail have revealed new plans for improving the facilities at Salford's Crescent train station, which will cost in the region of £12 million."

The Non-Metrolink Manchester Transport thread

i got a nice shiny brochure through from salford council this week advising me of the upcoming plans to completely regenerate chapel street. i thought this had been moved to a status of 'extremely unlikely any time soon'?
Apparently in the advertiser, it has moved a step further making it likely.

I doubt it. For the past ten years, it has always been moving forward- it still looks like something from the Bolshevik era.

Now there are coalition government are implementing savings, I am still surprised that things are moving forward.