Middlewoodlocks! Manchester's new Right Bank!

[jrb]

Update on Urban Design and Master Planning pages by mid September!

Its been a long wait, but we're finally going to get some new information!

Thanks Jo!

Dear John,

I have now spoken to our Project Manager and have been informed that the Urban Design and Master Planning pages on our website should be available by mid September.

Kind Regards

Jo Williams

Marketing Executive

Middlewood Locks

http://www.middlewoodlocks.co.uk/pages/intro2.htm

[Accura4Matalan]

Finally I hope the tower is still in the plans.

[highriser]

Is this u/c ?

because theres something going on ,on this site but i could'nt be arsed to go and look,,some kind of steel framework going up

[Potato Man]

Highriser - That belongs to the Fusion development. A little dull perhaps, but then the first phase of most developments in untested areas like this tend to be. It's also on the worst possible site, right next to the railway line with no canal frontage and furthest away from town. The views will be excellent though - at least until they are blocked by the rest of the development and I assume it's priced accordingly.

http://www.fusionmanchester.co.uk/

[highriser]

Cheers mate

[Mez]

The Irwell's left bank is Salford's soil, the right bank is MCR's. Where does this 'right bank' malarkey originate from if the site is in Salford?

[Jasper]

Originally Posted by Mez

The Irwell's left bank is Salford's soil, the right bank is MCR's. Where does this 'right bank' malarkey originate from if the site is in Salford?

It's not left as in looking at a map, but right as seen in travelling down the Irwell in the direction of the water flow, i.e. north-south (more or less).....

[skit_uk]

Hence the leftbank apartment being called leftbank

[caw123]

Fusion today

[caw123]

Fusion in profile

[kids]

What a great backdrop for the development, i'm sure the developers are over the moon

[SleepyOne]

Here is a masterplan of sorts for Middlewood Locks. Its such a vast area this will have a huge impact on Central Salford and Manchester when complete.

[Bim]

No no no...more horrible red panels!

[jrb]

Firstly, thank you for the information, its very much appreciated!

There will be a mixture of towers and midrises ranging in height from 20-30 storeys and 8-12 storeys!

The planning applications for Middlewood Locks will be submitted to Salford City Council in 3-4 weeks time!

Once again many thanks!

[Farsight]

20 to 30 storeys, wow. You are a veritable mine of golden nuggets, jrb.

[dirtyred619]

Went past the site today, and the land on the other side of Middlewood Street from Fusion where the Snow Dome was originally going to go, although its been cleared for ages, it looks like they were starting to get some serious groundwork done, a couple of diggers were on site moving earth around.

[Accura4Matalan]

Great news jrb. Thanks again

[highriser]

Excellent ,the city is really pushing now towards the Quay's

Come to think of it , the city is pushing out in all directions

[SleepyOne]

Middlewood Locks will be a gigantic development. Looking forward to viewing the outline planning application.

Good news that progress is now being made on the major piece of infrastructure which will be the catalyst for this whole development - the Manchester, Bury and Bolton canal reinstatement.

Full steam ahead for canal restoration in Salford




Cllr Derek Antrobus, Project manager for British Waterways, Mark Jackson and Chairman of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society, Margaret Fletcher, at the Middlewood site.



Work to build the first and most important section of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal (MB&B) is underway in Salford.

Funding for the £4.2million pound restoration of the first phase at Middlewood has been granted from European Objective Two Funding, the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Salford City Council.

The 500 metre stretch will reconnect the waterway with the River Irwell through the £600 million Middlewood Locks commercial development site which will include housing, hotels, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities.

The 15¼-mile long Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal is one of the last major waterways in Greater Manchester to require restoration. Work is due to start on the first phase in October 2005 with Middlewood navigable by the end of 2006.

Work will include the construction of a new canal channel, three locks, two basins and a footbridge. A tunnel was incorporated into the design of the inner ring road to accommodate the future restoration.

Campaigners see this as the first crucial step in the full restoration of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal, Greater Manchester's lost canal.

The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal is a key element in the regeneration of the Irwell and Croal Valleys, linked to other initiatives within the wider corridor.

Mark Jackson, Project Manager, British Waterways, said: "It's wonderful to finally be starting on site. This is the culmination of several years' hard work. The canal will form a centrepiece of a huge urban development project demonstrating how the public sector can work in partnership with the private sector to deliver significant economic benefits."

Salford City Council's lead member for planning, Councillor Derek Antrobus, added: "Waterside regeneration is central to Salford's rejuvenation. The Internationally-renowned Salford Quays is the biggest success story to date, but the restored section of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal at Middlewood, and the development that ensues, will undoubtedly become yet another powerful symbol of the new city."

Maurice Gubbins, NWDA Area Manager for Greater Manchester, said: "The NWDA is delighted to support the first phase of the canal's restoration. Reviving the region's waterways not only provide unique recreational resources, but also deliver significant economic benefits, enhancing the environment and quality of life, increasing tourism, and creating areas where people want to live and work. This important project will be a powerful catalyst for further regeneration, improving the area's appeal as an investment location and creating new employment opportunities."

Margaret Fletcher, Chairman of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society, concluded: "When the Middlewood section is complete boats from the national waterway system will be able to cruise on the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal direct from the connected system for the first time for over forty years. After many years of campaigning our aspirations are being realised. We begin to move from dream to reality."


Notes for editors

About the MB&B canal
The 15¼-mile long Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal is one of the last major waterways in Greater Manchester to require restoration. There were 17 broad locks, some in short staircases. The canal crosses fine moorland scenery on its upper level between Bolton and Bury and includes some very impressive stone aqueducts, some of which remain.

Subsidence due to coal mining was always a problem and a major breach on the Bury stretch in 1936 washed the canal and two boats into the River Irwell far below.
During WW2 further sections were closed for security reasons, and the whole canal was officially closed in 1961.

Economic studies have predicted that full restoration will:
Create more than 6,000 jobs
Act as a catalyst for a further £180 million of private investment
Bring 40 hectares of land back into use
Provide 150,000m2 of development space and 1,300 new homes

About the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society
The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society was founded in 1987. Its aims are the restoration, reconstruction, preservation, maintenance and improvement of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal, for everyone to enjoy.

The society became a limited company and charity in 1995, and more recently has been working with their partners British Waterways and the three local authorities of Bolton MBC, Bury MBC and Salford City Council to realise their aims. See www.mbbcs.org.uk for more information about the society.

About British Waterways
British Waterways cares for a 2,000-mile network of canals and navigable rivers throughout Britain, working to provide a sustainable future for the inland waterways and generate maximum benefit and enjoyment to all from this unique environmental and leisure resource.

The organisation works with a broad range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to unlock the potential of the inland waterways and generate income for reinvestment in the waterways for the benefit of the millions who visit and care for the waterways every year. See www.britishwaterways.co.uk or contact Helen Hall at British Waterways, tel 01925 847888 or 077177 60284 (e-mail helen.hall@britishwaterways.co.uk).

Artist impressions and computer-generated images of the Middlewood section, plus archive images, of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal are available by e-mail upon request.

[kids]

apparently there's some models of fusion in sainsburys. I think they're is some general info on the development also.