Economically, employment in the area is substantial, and is spread across a range of sectors. The town is the administrative centre for the city council, and its established industrial areas are home to a number of companies serving local markets. Swinton provides good connectivity to major centres of employment and, comparatively within Salford, local schools perform at the top end. Swinton also has a number of fantastic greenspaces and parks that make this a highly sought-after area.
The town is part of the Swinton and Pendlebury neighbourhood area with its own dedicated Neighbourhood Management team.
Salford’s town centres are important to the city’s future. They provide employment for local people, retail and leisure opportunities, homes, a sense of community, and a place for local people to interact. However, it is well known that town centres are changing and that they need to adapt and reposition themselves so that they can thrive and meet the needs of the local communities.
Despite Swinton’s many strengths, it faces similar challenges to other towns. The shopping centre and other buildings in the town centre are dated and in need of investment. Demand for local housing has grown by 23% in the last five years, but there is a lack of high-quality family and affordable housing in the right locations in the area.
Swinton is home to the city’s Civic Centre, and the council is committed to the area continuing to be the heart of Salford’s democratic function. In support of that, the city council has been reviewing future working practices and its property requirements, with a view to shaping and modernising its delivery model.
During 2022 we asked people to tell us what they thought about Swinton and what sort of future they want to see for the town, over 550 people took part in that visioning work.
The vision is just the first step of the journey, the next is to appoint a developer partner who can take this vision and help shape it, through ongoing consultation and engagement with the community, into a framework and plan for Swinton that will guide future investment.
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Swinton town centre:
What is the council doing about Swinton Town Centre?
The city council has identified Swinton town centre (along with Eccles) as a priority area for regeneration. On that basis, the council has engaged with the community and local stakeholders to establish a clear vision for the town that will help to guide change and future investment, whilst protecting what local people consider important for Swinton.
The vision document can be viewed on this page.
What is the Swinton Vision?
The Swinton Vision aims to capture the distinctiveness and characteristics of Swinton, celebrating what makes it special and highlighting the opportunities to develop and promote the town going forward.
Developed following wide-ranging engagement and research with local community stakeholders including residents, businesses, schools, young people and community groups - the overarching Vision narrative identifies three themes highlighting what needs to be focused on for Swinton to prosper and provide the building blocks to shape the town’s future.
One of the key findings was that there is a desire to see redevelopment of the shopping centre, including the demolition of the Lancastrian Hall which is seen as a blight on the town.
Overall, people felt that Swinton needed to be a more vibrant place that offered more to entice people to visit and to spend their leisure time there.
The vision document can be viewed on this page.
The Swinton Vision is a starting point for delivering change within the town - a shared vision for Swinton creating a focus for everyone to rally around and work towards, to help make Swinton the place everyone wants it to be.
What will happen next after the development of the Swinton Vision?
The vision, developed with input from the local community, has been widely shared to raise awareness of what can be achieved for the area.
The council has recently established the Salford Regeneration Forum which will take the vision and help shape it, through ongoing consultation and engagement with the community, into a framework and plan for Swinton that will guide future investment.
This will lead to the appointment of a private sector developer who will work in partnership with the council and local community to help deliver the regeneration aspirations for Swinton town centre.
Any proposals that emerge from this process will be subject to further consultation, and there will be continuous engagement with the community.
The council’s Regeneration team has also been developing an events and engagement programme for the town centre in response to local people’s concerns that Swinton needed to be a more vibrant place, offering more to entice people to visit and to spend their leisure time there.
Like all place-based change, the regeneration of Swinton town centre is likely to be a long-term project with many stages and workstreams.
What is happening with the Lancastrian Hall?
The Lancastrian Hall has been mainly vacant since 2012, with its final occupier, the library, being relocated to Swinton Gateway in 2015. The building has been closed off since then. There are no imminent plans for its reuse.
The local community has expressed a clear desire to see an improved town centre offer and overwhelming support for the demolition of the Lancastrian Hall through the Swinton Visioning activity.
The Lancastrian Hall forms part of the council’s civic estate. Given that the building occupies such a large and prominent corner within the centre of Swinton and is in part physically connected to the shopping centre (which is privately owned), the council considers that future decisions regarding the building will be guided by a comprehensive plan for the area (a masterplan) developed in partnership with the community. Such an approach would ensure that decisions had been made about the future use of the site, prior to demolition of the existing building – so that work is carried out in a structured and timely manner.
Are there any plans for the shopping centre?
Swinton Square (the precinct) is in private ownership and therefore not something that the council has any direct control over. It is also important to acknowledge that the issues facing Swinton precinct are not unique to Swinton and those challenges are varied but linked to changing shopping habits, decline in the retail offer, competition from out-of-town centres as well as changes in the wider economy.
We do have an open dialogue with the owners of Swinton Square, the West Bromwich Building Society, who are aware of the vision / aspiration for Swinton.
One of the aims of the council’s events and animation programme is to encourage additional footfall and dwell time within the town centre.
What is the council planning for the Civic Centre?
A review of the Civic Centre estate in Swinton has made us aware that it is too large for an agile workforce and that it is in need of renewal and modernisation to make it fit for delivering services to residents in the future.
As a major landowner in the town, the council is looking to bring those issues about the civic estate and how council services will continue to be provided in Swinton for future generations into a comprehensive plan.
Although the council is considering long-term options for the Civic Centre in its current form, Swinton will remain the administrative headquarters for the council.
Any transformation of the civic estate would have the potential to act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Swinton town centre.
What is going to happen next? / What are the next stages?
The Swinton Vision was our starting point for delivering change within the town. A lot of work has been taking place to get a process and structure in place to support regeneration in Swinton.
We have established the Salford Regeneration Forum which will take the vision and help deliver the plans that emerge, through ongoing consultation and engagement with the community, into a framework and plan for Swinton that will guide future investment.
We are currently working on securing a developer partner to work alongside and help us with the town centre regeneration. The specific partner will be appointed during 2025 following a formal decision-making process.
However, as is often the case with place-based change, this will all take time. It will be many years before the vision goals are realised. As an example, the successful regeneration programmes in central Salford have taken over ten to 15 years to come to fruition, and work in those areas is still ongoing.
Often the success of regeneration projects depends on timing and market interest. To ensure that we are in a strong position to deliver change we have been retaining sites (such as the old police station site and the former Ambrose Barlow site) to support a comprehensive approach to regeneration in Swinton.
Now we are in a position to begin delivering regeneration activity in Swinton - and following the appointment of a developer partner (later this year), we would be really keen to see local people getting involved and helping to shape ideas and plans for Swinton town centre. In the meantime, we will continue to keep people informed and involved in the journey.
What is the Swinton ‘masterplan’?
There is currently no Swinton masterplan. Following the appointment of a developer partner, a regeneration framework and a plan (often referred to as a masterplan) for Swinton town centre will be developed through ongoing consultation and engagement with the community. We are not yet at that stage.
What is the Swinton events programme?
During the Swinton Vision consultation, local people told us that Swinton needs to be a more vibrant place, with more going on - and more reasons for people to visit and spend their leisure time. In response, it was recommended that an events and animation programme be developed for the town centre.
Swinton Sounds, a brand-new free event, bringing a weekend of pop-up music and entertainment across the town centre in June 2023, was a trailblazer for that events programme. It returned as an expanded three-day event in June 2024 and will return again in 2025.
Local artist Simon Buckley revived his Not Quite Light Festival in Swinton in March 2024, with 14 events at various locations across the town centre - and also after a year-long residency, Lowri Evans worked with local people to create Carousel of Us, a unique theatrical experience in Swinton Square shopping precinct over a weekend in July 2024.
Events such as these, encourage people to explore Swinton town and experience something new, animate public spaces, and help to increase footfall and dwell time within the town centre. They also raise the profile of Swinton, and offer a positive opportunity to talk with people about the future of the town.
What is happening on the former Ambrose Barlow site?
The council has received £1.6m Brownfield Land Release Funding to clear the site – this will include enabling works, land remediation, groundworks and demolition works. It is intended that site will be used for housing, however a scheme will need to be worked up and any details will be subject to planning. Estimated timescales for the demolition work to take place are from March 2025 to August 2025.
How do I get involved? How to I keep up to date with what is happening?
Involvement from the local community will be vital to the success of any regeneration work in Swinton.
Sign up for regular updates, and information on how to get involved as the project develops, by emailing swinton@salford.gov.uk
Look out for announcements via the council’s website, social media and other channels. This is our dedicated project webpage.
During the Swinton Vision consultation, local people told us that Swinton needs to be a more vibrant place, with more going on - and more reasons for people to visit and spend their leisure time. In response, it was recommended that an events and animation programme be developed for the town centre.
If you’d like to be kept up to date with what’s happening in Swinton, please get in touch at swinton@salford.gov.uk
