Stage 2 film

A transcript of the content of the stage 2 film is published below. The transcript is also available for download at the foot of this page.

Introduction:

"Yes, there are jobs and we have a roof over our heads and that piece of wasteland has finally disappeared. The town centre seems to have all the right labels and I’ve heard there are some big companies moving into the area. I can see a transformation but it needs something to bring it all together. How do we make sure that the lifeblood of our communities is healthy and that it flows?"

Dr Joanne Tippett:

"I see the river in terms of space as this key artery that connects Trafford, Salford and Manchester and it has been neglected."

Resident:

"You don’t see your neighbour unless you go shopping on the road."

Resident (wheelchair user):

"There is a pub up there and I’d love to go in and have a pint, and go down and see what is going on at the river. I can’t."

Dr Joanne Tippett:

"I really think we can do something unique here."

Resident:

"It would bring communities together to get on to waterways, and to develop parks. There are too few places for children to play."

Resident:

"Children stay in the house, watching TV and playing computers."

Resident:

"Everyone has become isolated in their own streets."

Resident:

"All you have to do is go out the back of the area where we live and it’s just terrible."

Dr Joanne Tippett:

"This could be the benchmark for regeneration, for health and for the people."

Resident:

"This could be for people, especially children. There could be benches for people to sit and watch the world go by."

Radio:

"You’re tuned to 96.9FM. We’ve been running a phone in on the idea of a park along the banks of the Irwell and Salford Quays. We have listener Mike calling “I wanted to say the space is there but not being used”

Felicity Goody:

"The call for this is coming from the local people because they can see this will be a fabulous resource. Again and again local people say to me ‘why is it we can’t walk by the riverside. It doesn’t feel safe, isn’t clean, you can’t get all the way along. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could take our children there and stroll along?’ This is coming from people of all ages."

Dr David McKelvey:

"This waterway is a backwater of the city, and if we can get investment to turn it into a centrepiece of Manchester it would become like a heart throbbing with life."

Chris Oglesby, CEO Bruntwood:

"The three local authorities are putting their resources behind delivering it, but in addition we’ve got a private sector used to working with the public sector, therefore the legacy of the project and the long-term sustainability is in safe hands. This is an area used to working with local area partnerships to ensure that great projects are maintained in the long-term."

Barbara Spicer, Chief Executive, Salford City Council:

"The imperative of putting that jigsaw together is that the social and environmental aspects of regeneration come hand in hand. That’s what makes things sustainable and makes communities own it."

Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council:

"There is an opportunity here to do a lot more so I think what we do now is a reflection of the priorities of the three individual local authorities, also I believe the priorities of the community as well."

Resident (rower):

"My dream was to get to the Olympics, at the moment I can’t make it because my coach can’t come all the way down the river on his bike with me."

Resident (Wheelchair user):

"Disabled people can’t get down to the river, nor can older people. There is so much we can do so that every citizen can access the river."

Resident:

"I would love to get on a boat and travel into Manchester and see it all from a different perspective."

Resident:

"I think the river has got a stigma about being a no-go area, people avoid it and would rather walk along the streets than along the river."

Tom Bloxham, Urban Splash:

"I think this project has the ability to transform Salford and Manchester to add the one thing they need most, a park."

Resident:

"It’s for future generations, for the children."

Resident:

"I just hope I live long enough to see it come to fruition."

Felicity Goody:

"It is a fantastic asset because it goes from Salford Quays, to the meadows and all the way through the city centre, so fantastic opportunities for all our young people."

The Leaders:

Richard Leese, Leader, Manchester City Council:

"It’s all about community and over the past few years thousands of people have come to live in the heart of our cities and there are hundreds of thousands of people working here. In the past the river had a purely economic purpose, it served community needs, now we want to make it something that almost becomes a linear community."

Susan Williams, Leader, Trafford Borough Council:

"This project will add to community needs in terms of the economy, education, and also the huge public realm improvement that is so important to economic needs."

John Merry, Leader, Salford City Council:

"This lottery fund is about creating opportunities for generations to follow. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity because of the nature of the river as it is at the moment. We’re both in at the start of development and building on some of the development that has already taken place. I think in later years it may be more difficult to get a project like this away. This is absolutely the right time to make this project happen. We’re talking about five miles of river, which can be transformed away from what it used to be, dirty and smelly and all the rest of it, to something that can transform the whole of this particular region."

Susan Williams, Leader, Trafford Borough Council:

"It’s essential to think about not just getting the funding for the bid, but also sustainability in the long-term. The three authorities have talked about sustainability and funding not just in the short term but medium and long-term too."

John Merry, Leader, Salford City Council:

"It is a major undertaking, but the point is that the Greater Manchester area has shown time and time again it can deliver on major projects."

Richard Leese, Leader, Manchester City Council:

"Manchester, like many Victorian cities, was built with its back to the river and it turned its back away from the water. People love water. The Irwell Valley park gives us the opportunity to take two cities, Manchester and Salford, and the Borough of Trafford and instead of having the river as separation between them it will join them together."