Consent granted for next phase of £1billion regeneration project in Salford

Leading regeneration experts, Scarborough Group International (SGI) has secured outline planning consent from Salford City Council for the development of the remaining plots of land at its multi award-winning, 25-acre Middlewood Locks neighbourhood.

Middlewood Locks is a significant, £1 billion regeneration project in Salford, being created over a number of phases. 

Once complete, it will deliver over 2,000 much-needed new homes and circa 900,000 sq ft of commercial space, including a hotel and leisure amenities, set in a beautiful and tranquil canal-side environment.

Just a stone’s throw from Salford Central station and a short walk from Manchester’s Spinningfields business district, the development includes substantial public realm within the design, incorporating the attractive waterside setting of the restored Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal. 

The news follows the reserved matters consent secured earlier this year for two further phases of development that will include 909 new residential apartments with commercial amenity and public realm. 

SGI is already on site with phase three, the ‘Railings’ delivering 189 apartments and three- and four-bedroom town houses to support family living, along with over 10,000 sq ft of canal-side commercial space for office, retail and leisure uses. 

SGI has recently secured a £30m loan from the Government housing and regeneration agency, Homes England to fund this phase. 

Phases one and two, comprising 1,117 apartments and amenity space are sold and occupied housing a thriving new community of over 1,300 residents. 

Brewery brand Seven Bro7hers has opened its first beer house in the development alongside Co-op Food and 92 Degrees coffee shop. 

Last year SGI applied to update its existing consent with some revisions to the masterplan for the remaining plots on the brownfield site.

“We are delighted to secure outline consent for the remaining space at Middlewood Locks,” said Paul Kelly, Group Director at SGI.

“This updated masterplan delivers against the increasing demand for city living as well as high quality commercial accommodation with a strong balance of public realm and amenity. 

“We have and continue to work closely with Salford City Council and other key stakeholders to provide a highly sustainable environment that is accessible to all.

“It is also a reflection of our experience in developing the site for over six years, which will carry us through to complete our commitment to curate one of the largest new communities in Greater Manchester and one of the most celebrated regeneration projects in the North-West.”

Nicola Wallis, Sales and Marketing Director at SGI, said: “Middlewood Locks has emerged as a thriving new neighbourhood with a growing community of over 1,300 people. 

“It’s wonderful to see how friendships have formed among the residents and how settled and established the community is. 

“We host regular events within the public realm and at Seven Bro7hers beer house to ensure our neighbourhood is inclusive and accessible to the wider communities. 

“We are excited to introduce more fantastic new public realm within the revised masterplan. 

“‘Junction Park’ a new green space along the canal, ‘Signal Square’ to create a sense of arrival and new event space and ‘The Nook’ to create more amenity spaces for the community to enjoy. 

“We will continue to deliver first class green space with design features to support biodiversity and wellbeing. 

“These will link through the railway arches with safe and pleasant walking and cycling routes to Manchester city centre.”

Middlewood Locks is a joint venture between Scarborough Group International, Metro Holdings Limited, a Singapore-listed property development and investment group, and Hualing Group, based in Urumqui, Xinjiang, in China.

Overall, the site has a gross development value of more than £1 billion and is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs for the area. 

Six years under development ,Middlewood Locks has already made a considerable economic impact, supporting around 6,000 jobs. 

The total local economic benefit to the Greater Manchester sub-region for phases one and two at Middlewood Locks is £260 million.