Salford West town centres
Local town centres are a key part of the community in Salford. They have an important role in increasing the quality of life of communities in the city through providing retail, recreational and civic facilities, driving economic and employment growth and creating a sense of place and identity.
Salford West has three town centres, Eccles, Swinton and Walkden. All of these centres have suffered various levels of decline in recent years, due to changing national trends and local circumstances and the current economic downturn.
The consultation on the Salford West regeneration framework showed that the improvement of town centres was a priority of local communities in Salford. The framework supports the development of thriving town centres at the heart of a prosperous Salford West.
Eccles and Walkden town centres have seen significant investment from both the public and private sectors.
Investment in Eccles
Eccles is at the beginning of resurgence, with significant investment into its retail and commercial stock. PBN holdings were granted planning permission on 19 May 2011 by the Secretary of State for a new 8,213 square metre Tesco. This £30 million investment, bringing 400 new jobs to the town is expected to open its doors in time for Christmas 2012. Two new office buildings have been built in Eccles, Morson Group's new headquarters and Centenary House. With an investment of £20 million they have attracted well over 500 new employees to the town. Public services in the town centre have also benefited from significant investment in recent years. The new Gateway Centre opened in 2008. In 2010 it saw an average monthly footfall of 17,174, an increase of 12% on 2009. The historic Carnegie library, an Eccles landmark reopened in 2010. Together they brought in a total investment of £10.5 million. The streetscene along Church Street has already been improved and by 2012, 20 building fronts will have been improved. Eccles benefits from its strategic location in relation to major investment hubs such as MediaCityUK and Trafford Park, as well as its location on the transport network providing an intersection between motorway, rail, bus and tram. The new 1.2 kilometre Broadway Link Road completed in 2010 links Eccles directly with MediaCityUK.
Investment in Walkden
Walkden town centre is currently the focus of major investment. Private sector investment of £60 million is remodelling the Ellesmere Centre with a 168,000 square feet Tesco launched in 2010 as part of phase 1 development. Phase two is currently on site transforming the Ellesmere Centre to attract major national retailers. The Gateway Centre opened in 2008 following an investment of £9 million. The Gateway's average monthly footfall was 18,900 in 2010, an increase of 16% on 2009. This level of public and private investment provides a one off opportunity to establish Walkden as a retail destination. This is being supported by a range of environmental improvements with streetscene improvement centred on High Street and Memorial Road and street furniture improvement on Bolton Road and High street.
Swinton town centre
All local town centres play an important role for their local catchments, providing a shopping and leisure offer as well as a range of community facilities including libraries, post offices, public services and sports centre. Swinton town centre is the city's administrative centre; both Salford City Council and the Police have their headquarters based there. There is also a district library in the Lancastrian Hall. The main focus of retail and commercial activity is along Chadwick Street, Chorley Road, Station Road, Swinton Hall Road, Wellington Road and Westover Street. The Swinton Shopping Precinct, which opened in 1960, covers an area of 200,000 square feet at the centre of the town. Larger stores, including B and Q, Morrisons, Aldi and Matalan, are based to the north of the precinct.
This page was last updated on 29 November 2011
