Central Salford

Adopted Unitary Development Plan

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Introduction (Part II)

13.1 Central Salford includes part of the Regional Centre, together with wide areas of inner city housing, industry and commerce. In recent years it has suffered from a poor physical environment, a declining economic base, social deprivation and traffic congestion. However, road and rail improvements, the declaration of the Chapel Street Industrial and Commercial Improvement Area, the Trinity Project, the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park and cultural activities centred on the Crescent area have all helped to initiate a turn around in the area's fortunes. In response to changing circumstances, the City Council approved a Strategy and Action Plan for Central Salford in July 1990.

13.2 This chapter of the UDP outlines the strategy for Central Salford. It should be read in conjunction with the preceding topic chapters, which give further details of specific proposals. The general and specific policies outlined elsewhere in this Written Statement will be applicable to Central Salford. This part of the City has been selected for particularly detailed treatment because of its complexity, the need to accommodate future, possibly rapid, change within a flexible framework, and also because of its significance for the Regional Centre of Manchester and the whole of the city of Salford. The Central Salford Strategy and Action Plan will continue to provide a non-statutory and detailed framework for the development and improvement of the area, and its provisions are endorsed by the UDP.

13.3 Central Salford covers an area of approximately 1.3 square kilometres (1/2 square mile), and had a resident population of about 4,800 in 1981. This population level should be reached again when current and future housing works are completed. The area also supports a significant, but in recent years declining, number of jobs.

13.4 It is an area characterised by variety - of its built form, its land uses and its functions. Housing is to be found mainly in the form of 1960's estates at Trinity, Islington and Greengate. Art galleries, museums, public buildings and the Cathedral form the principal uses in the Chapel Street Corridor. Industrial and commercial activities are found throughout the area, especially alongside the Inner Relief Route, the River Irwell and Chapel Street.

13.5 Central Salford contains the Sacred Trinity Church and Greengate, the historic core of the City. The area has real potential for development because of key assets which include:

a varied and popular housing stock
an established employment base
attractive buildings and civic atmosphere
the availability of development sites
Chapel Street's gateway nature and
access to further education facilities, for training and skills development

13.6 The southern and eastern area of Central Salford lies within the English Tourist Board's Manchester, Salford and Trafford Strategic Development Initiative area. The `Northern Gateway' initiative was launched in 1991 to regenerate the area around Exchange Station. The City endorses tourism initiatives which help regeneration and offer employment prospects.

Strategy (Part II)

13.7 The City Council aims to develop the full potential of Central Salford for the benefit of those who rely upon it for employment, housing, cultural and leisure facilities and has set itself the following broad objectives:

to improve the environment
to provide employment opportunities
to upgrade the housing stock and residential areas
to improve traffic flows and transport systems and
to develop the area's tourism potential

13.8 In order to achieve these objectives a concentrated effort is required to revitalise the area and make it attractive to development agencies. The overall strategy for the area, however, also needs to be balanced, in order to reflect the different needs of the area in physical, social and economic terms. It also needs to provide an overall sense of direction for future initiatives and to allow for the co-ordination of existing and future works by both the public and private sectors.

13.9 The City Council's strategy for Central Salford is therefore made up of three broad elements:

an expression of the way in which the area's transport system - its highways, railways, pedestrian routes and the riverside can be improved
a programme of environmental works designed to bring about the comprehensive improvement of the area's buildings, transport corridors and open spaces and
a statement of the approach in land use and development terms, to be adopted towards each of the sub-areas of Central Salford

Transport

13.10 Central Salford has good communication links both to the national motorway network and to the Regional Centre. However, traffic congestion on Chapel Street and other roads, the potential loss of car parking areas to development, and the potential for improved pedestrian access and public transport provision all need to be addressed. The main transport elements of the Central Salford Strategy are:

improvement of the area's highway network through the completion of the Inner Relief Route (see proposal T16/1 in the Transport Section), and the improvement of Chapel Street and other schemes designed to improve vehicular access and traffic circulation
possible provision of a multi-storey car park and/or the more efficient use of existing car parks to offset the loss of existing car parking resulting from development initiatives
improvement of the area's footpath network in order to increase safety and improve access for the disabled
improvement of public transport provision through the enhancement of existing rail and bus stations and the improvement of road and rail corridors

Environmental Improvement

13.11 Improving the environment is central to the process of urban regeneration. Individual schemes will be set within an overall framework, which focuses on:

major road, rail and water corridors within the area, notably the Chapel Street/A6 corridor, the Inner Relief Route, the Manchester to Liverpool railway lines and the River Irwell Corridor
the housing estates of Trinity, Greengate and Islington
the Chapel Street Industrial and Commercial Improvement Area (ICIA) and the Greengate South area which is a proposed ICIA (see EC14/2)
the Crescent, Flat Iron, Adelphi and Bexley Square and Cathedral Conservation Areas

Land Use and Development

13.12 The land use and development strategy is based on dividing Central Salford into seven sub-areas, shown on the proposals map and on the information plan facing this page, each of which has a broad policy statement of intent. This approach, different from that used elsewhere in the UDP, stems from the need to retain a degree of flexibility in dealing with land use change in Central Salford. In addition to these sub-area policies, however, a number of more specific allocations or proposals are identified on the proposals map and these are referred to in the relevant topic chapters of the Plan.

Sub-Area Policies

Trinity

Policy (Part II)
CS1 - The City Council will continue its programme of refurbishing and renewing the Trinity Housing Estate and improving the adjacent commercial areas. The main emphasis within the area will be placed on:

providing enhanced standards of residential accommodation
improving the local environment
providing new areas of open space
improving pedestrian access
providing off-street car parking and
securing an appropriate civic, office, business, or educational use in the Salford Royal Hospital building

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

The Trinity Project has proved to be immensely successful in improving this predominantly residential inner city area, by refurbishing and remodelling the original 1960's council estate and providing new houses for sale and rent. This programme of works will be continued with particular emphasis on the residential redevelopment of Trinity Riverside (H9/1) and land at Cleminson Street (H9/5) as well as environmental improvement works to the River Irwell frontage and the Adelphi and Bexley Square Conservation Areas.

It is possible that Salford Royal Hospital, a Grade II listed building, may close in the near future. If that is the case its re-use for civic, office, business or educational uses will be encouraged as part of an overall drive to retain the building and maintain the high environmental quality of the area to the north of Chapel Street.

Greengate North

Policy (Part II)
CS2 - The City Council will promote the renewal of the Greengate North area through the following measures:

the redevelopment of vacant land between Trinity Way and the River Irwell for a mixture of housing, industry and non-retail commercial purposes
the retention and improvement of industrial buildings within the Springfield Lane and East Philip Street area, wherever possible
the retention and renovation of Local Authority housing coupled with the promotion of a programme of environmental improvements and
the improvement of pedestrian links to and along the River Irwell frontage

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

The majority of land within Greengate North is owned by the City Council and much of it to the south and east of Bridgewater Street is presently vacant.

A new car showroom has recently been built on Trinity Way and there is potential for new housing development on Blackfriars Road (H9/2) and Bridgewater Street (H9/3 and H9/4).

The remainder of the area is predominantly made up of a 1960's local authority housing estate which would benefit from environmental improvement, particularly in respect of the upgrading of open space areas, and in the longer term, as resources permit, the improvement of housing units.

The River Irwell is an important feature of this area and improvement works in terms of footpath provision and access improvements would complement similar schemes which have been undertaken further down river.

Greengate South

Policy (Part II)
CS3 - The City Council will encourage the improvement of the Greengate South area through the following measures:

the retention and improvement of industrial and commercial uses
the rationalisation of the area's road network
the upgrading of existing open spaces and car parks
the provision, where possible, of additional car-parking and
the retention and enhancement of the Blackfriars Road façade and the Chesters Brewery buildings

Early consideration will be given to the possible designation of Greengate South as an Industrial and Commercial Improvement Area.

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

This is a predominantly industrial and commercial area with a number of large established firms. There is also a small enclave of housing at Queen Street. The area suffers from a significant amount of vacant and underused land and a torturous road pattern. In the longer term there may be a number of site assembly and redevelopment opportunities but in the short term it is felt that efforts should be directed towards securing the overall improvement of the area and enabling it to function more effectively. Designation of the area as an Industrial and Commercial Improvement Area (ICIA) will be considered (see proposal EC14/2).

The Chesters Brewery buildings form an important local landmark and would lend themselves to refurbishment for a variety of employment generating uses (see proposal EC11/7).

Exchange

Policy (Part II)
CS4 - The City Council will promote the redevelopment of Exchange for tourism, leisure and offices, and other, related ancillary uses.

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

Although this is the smallest of the seven Central Salford sub-areas it is potentially one of the most important, due to its location at the heart of the Regional Centre. The area is dominated by the former Exchange Station which forms an elevated structure presently given over mainly to car parking, with small workshops in the railway arches.

The station site has considerable redevelopment potential for a range of uses, including an hotel, conference facilities, leisure, sport and cultural provision, and a feasibility study has been undertaken to assess these options.

The Exchange Station Zone, together with the Cathedral District in Manchester, offers considerable potential for tourism development and this is being pursued through the `Northern Gateway' initiative. This initiative involves a public and private sector partnership, for which a development strategy has been prepared, in order to guide the redevelopment of an area which includes Exchange and Victoria Stations.

Any redevelopment scheme will need to be of exceptional quality and to relate well in design terms to the Cathedral and Flat Iron Conservation Areas, and Victoria Station, where major development is under way. Consideration will also be given to the improvement of the existing road network, and the extension of footpath access alongside the River Irwell.

Chapel Wharf

Policy (Part II)
CS5 - The City Council will encourage the refurbishment and redevelopment of the Chapel Wharf area for essentially office uses and will seek to improve the attractiveness of the area through the following measures:

the improvement of the A6, Chapel Street corridor
the development of a landscaped walkway along the River Irwell and
the environmental improvement of the Flat Iron Conservation Area

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

The Chapel Wharf area comprises predominantly offices and commercial uses with important frontages to both the A6 (Chapel Street) and the River Irwell. It is an area which supports a great many jobs and has given rise to several prestigious modern office developments, including Ralli Courts, Ralli Quays and the Central Government complex. The Mark Addy pub and restaurant on the banks of the River Irwell is further indication of private sector confidence in the area.

Further improvements to the area, in terms of better access and environmental improvement measures, will consolidate this confidence and, in the longer term, stimulate further schemes of selective site assembly and redevelopment.

Sites offering particular development potential include Irwell Street/Hampson Street, the former D.C. Thompson warehouse on Brown Street, land between D.C. Thompson and Blackfriars Street and the colonnade frontage between Irwell Street and New Bailey Street.

Middlewood

Policy (Part II)
CS6 - The City Council will foster the redevelopment and improvement of the Middlewood area for a range of leisure, business and residential uses. The main emphasis within the area will be placed on:

completing Phase III of the Inner Relief Route, and other access improvements
securing the redevelopment of vacant land
refurbishing existing business and industrial premises and
improving access to and along the River Irwell frontage

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

Middlewood comprises an extensive area of vacant and underused land to the east of East Ordsall Lane and established industrial and commercial premises to the west.

Completion of Phase III of the Inner Relief Route (T16/1) will greatly improve access to the area and will facilitate the redevelopment of vacant land. The area is considered suitable for media related leisure and residential development, with associated office, business, and other related uses stretching along the River Irwell and up to East Ordsall Lane.

Existing industrial and commercial premises to the west of Middlewood would benefit from environmental improvement measures and from the redevelopment of the former Secondary School site on Middlewood Street for offices (EC11/6).

Provision of a landscaped walkway along the River Irwell will form part of the City's network of Strategic Recreation Routes (R7).

Islington

Policy (Part II)
CS7 - The City Council will promote the improvement and renewal of the Islington area through the following measures:

the refurbishment and selective redevelopment of the Chapel Street frontage for commercial uses
the comprehensive refurbishment and renewal of the Islington housing estate
the improvement of vehicular access to and through the area and
the environmental improvement of the area as a whole

Reasoned Justification (Part II)

This is a run down area of Central Salford and yet it is an area of great potential. It comprises a commercial frontage to Chapel Street, and an established Local Authority housing area, the Islington Estate, to the south. It is a priority area for concerted action.

Such action will seek to transform the south side of Chapel Street into a high quality office and commercial frontage reflecting the scale, character and quality of buildings on the north side of the road. Redevelopment will be concentrated in the area opposite the Cathedral and at Gore Street and will take account of the need to improve both vehicular and pedestrian access along Chapel Street.

A comprehensive programme of renewal measures will be provided for the Islington Estate, based on tenant consultations. Among the measures to be considered will be the conversion and adaptation of existing housing units, selective demolition and new building, improved property security, the improvement of pedestrian and vehicular access and the overall enhancement of the estate in environmental terms.

The improvement of Chapel Street will increase access to the area and assist in the renewal process. There will also be a need to consider further highway improvements to service the Chapel Street commercial area generally and improve traffic circulation.

An extensive programme of environmental improvement will complement redevelopment and refurbishment and help to build confidence in the area.

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This page was last updated on 22 October 2009