MediaCityUK gives Salford's economy a £92m boost
The buzz around MediaCityUK is having a glowing effect on Salford's economy as new figures show that £92m of construction work at the development has gone to local contractors.
This is an increase of almost one third in the last six months alone and makes up around 40 per cent of the £228m of contracts at the site given to Greater Manchester businesses.
The latest report from site developer Peel Media's construction partners, Bovis Lend Lease, reveals that as of September, 80 per cent of people working at MediaCityUK live in the North West with more than half from Greater Manchester and 11 per cent from Salford.
Since construction began over 600 people from Salford have been employed on site, over 3,500 person hours have been spent on training in construction skills on the site and over 1,500 students have been involved in the project.
466 people are completing or have completed a recognised apprenticeship or qualification whilst on the project including four new apprentices recruited through the Salford Shared Apprenticeship scheme, which offers local college-leavers the chance to gain both qualifications and practical skills.
Opportunities for local businesses to work on the landmark development have been made possible through an award-winning relationship between the public and private sectors called the Salford Construction Partnership (SCP).
Led by Salford City Council the SCP has created jobs for local people by helping Salford-based companies to get onto the supply chain with Bovis Lend Lease.
The work the partnership and Bovis Lend Lease have done means that an additional 25 companies from Salford are now part of this supply chain allowing them to bid for work at the development as well as on other Bovis Lend Lease projects.
The work of SCP on the MediaCityUK site forms an important part of the MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners programmes.
Set up to ensure that MediaCityUK acheives its potential globally as well as reaping the benefit for local communities and businesses, the partnership is made up of Salford City Council, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and Northwest Regional Development Agency.
Leader of Salford City Council, Councillor John Merry said: "MediaCityUK is a key player in the growth of our economy and these results show how important it is to the city and local businesses.
"The BBC being handed the keys to their first building just weeks ago is a sign of how fast things are moving at MediaCityUK and that our vision for Salford's future is becoming a reality.
"I'm delighted that local contractors are already seeing the benefits from the hard work we've done with our partners to get them involved in work at the site.
"The benefits for Salford from MediaCityUK are longstanding and this is just the beginning to a very exciting time for the wider regeneration of the city."
Chris Marsh, Central Salford URC's director of community regeneration said: "These results show the benefits of partnership working and how they can reap real and substantial rewards for local people and businesses.
MediaCityUK is still 18 months away from completion but Salford businesses are already benefitting in real economic terms, while local people have the chance to develop skills and gain qualifications from the development.
The relationship we have with Peel and Bovis Lend Lease are excellent and they are hugely positive about achieving benefits for local people"
Added Peel's construction director, David Glover: "Peel always strives to make a positive impact on the communities in which we work, and these latest figures from MediaCityUK are extremely encouraging.
"I'm delighted that the development is having such a positive effect on the Salford economy."
Owned and developed by Peel Media, phase one of MediaCityUK represents an investment of around £500 million. The BBC will be moving nearly 2,500 staff to Salford Quays from 2011, and recently took the keys to their first MediaCityUK building, which was handed over to the Corporation one month ahead of schedule.
Notes for editors
MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners are Salford City Council, Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.
The MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners Programme has been established to maximise the investment and opportunities presented by MediaCityUK to ensure it meets its ambition to become a globally significant media city with visible, long term benefits for the people living and working in Salford, the Northwest and beyond. The Public Sector Partners programme aims to achieve this through leading and co-ordinating partnerships with a range of public and private organisations and community groups.
The three programme areas are:
- Place - supporting the development of the MediaCityUK site and transport infrastructure.
- Sector and economy - using MediaCityUK as a catalyst to grow the digital and creative industries and developing relevant skills throughout the Northwest.
- People and communities - using MediaCityUK to increase aspirations and opportunities for local people by delivering community benefits, linking education and jobs, and exploiting regeneration opportunities.
MediaCityUK is being managed and developed by Peel Media, a division of the Peel Group, one of the leading property and transport companies in the UK. In total, Peel Media's investment in phase one of MediaCityUK will amount to £500 million.
Owned and developed by Peel Media, phase one of MediaCityUK represents an investment of around £500 million. The BBC will be moving nearly 2,500 staff to Salford Quays from 2011, and recently took the keys to their first MediaCityUK building, which was handed over to the Corporation one month ahead of schedule.
- Date published
- Monday, 2 November 2009
- Reference number
- 09-2466
Press and media enquiries only:
- Name
- Katy Barnes
- Telephone
- 0161 793 3157
- katy.barnes@salford.gov.uk
Email this page to a friend
Bookmark this page using:
Find out more about social bookmarking.
These sites allow you to store, tag and share links across the internet. You can share these links both with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
If you come across a page on our site that you find interesting and want to save for future reference or share it with other people, simply click on one of these links to add to your list.
All of these sites are free to use but do require you to register. Once you have registered you can begin bookmarking. Each of the sites works slightly differently so use the links below to find out which service best suits your needs.
Find out more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia.
