Senior officials gathered this week to commemorate the start on site for the next significant phase of development at Middlewood Locks, the £1 billion new neighbourhood emerging between Salford and Manchester city centre.
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett and Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham joined the special gathering alongside Kevin McCabe, Chairman and Simon McCabe, Chief Executive of Scarborough Group International which is delivering the major urban regeneration project.
Dongwen Yu, Lead Director at Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI), which is the preferred contractor for Middlewood Locks, also joined the event alongside Zheng Xiyuan, Chinese Consul General in Manchester and other guests.
Planning consent was granted last year for phase three at Middlewood Locks following the successful completion and sell out of 1,117 apartments in phases one and two. The multi-award-winning new neighbourhood is already thriving with over 1,300 people living and working at Middlewood Locks with a recent report highlighting a £260 million contribution to the Greater Manchester economy so far.
Phase three, named ‘Railings’, features 189 new homes including 176 one to three -bedroom apartments in two blocks, one of 10 storeys and the other 12 storeys, on the northern side of the canal opposite Phase one. For the first time, there will also be seven canalside, three and four-bedroom townhouses along with 6 mews houses to support family living.
The Railings will incorporate first class amenity space, balconies and private gardens that blend into the public realm areas as a continuation of previous phases. The scheme will also feature 5,150 sq ft of ground floor commercial and retail accommodation with an additional 5,000 sq ft of offices.
Paul Dennett, City Mayor of Salford and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“Middlewood Locks is a Salford success story that keeps on delivering. It has created thousands of jobs for our local economy, delivered over a thousand homes that are desperately needed for Salford residents and transformed a derelict site into a vibrant and sought-after neighbourhood.
“I am excited to see how the next phase unfolds and how it works with its ever-growing community as our city moves forward with this ambitious regeneration project.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“I am delighted to see first-hand what has been achieved so far at Middlewood Locks. This place is a part of the ‘new’ Greater Manchester and is a fantastic example of brownfield site development that delivers homes where there are great public transport links and green spaces. When we connect Middlewood Locks to our London-style public transport system, it will become an even better place to live, right in the heart of a resurgent North of England.
“Congratulations to Salford City Council, their partners, and the delivery team, who should all be proud of what they have achieved so far. It shows that the potential is here. It’s evidence of what we can do together, and how much more we can do with the right backing and investment.”
The first phase of 571 homes at Middlewood Locks completed in September 2018 and phase two of 546 homes completed in November 2021. Phase two was purchased by award-winning PRS operator Get Living for its first PRS venture outside of London.
Both phases are sold out and a new community of over 1,300 residents now live at Middlewood Locks where iconic brewery brand Seven Bro7hers has opened its first beer house alongside Co-op Food and 92 Degrees coffee shop.
When completed, the 25-acre neighbourhood will provide a total of 2,215 new homes and 900,000 sq ft of commercial space, including offices, hotel, shops and restaurants.
