“It’s not a ‘no go’ area anymore, it’s a really lovely place” – The reinvention of Ordsall

It was once a “no-go” zone in Salford.

Locals in Ordsall say delivery drivers hated going there, and burned-out cars regularly appeared around its housing estates.

The neighbourhood, around Salford Lads Club, was even shown on a hit record by The Smiths as a place with derelict homes and rubbish-filled streets.

The reinvention of Ordsall

The band’s 1980’s music video to ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before’ featured clips of the group cycling on Ordsall’s empty roads.

But people from the inner-city Salford neighbourhood say it has changed massively since then.

“It’s not a ‘no go’ area anymore, it’s a really lovely place,” says Debbie Pownall who works at the New Barracks Tenant Management Co-Operative.

The 59-year-old from Stalybridge has worked in Ordsall for 18 years and seen the improvements first-hand.

She explained that the area “has changed” but it is “dragging an unfortunate legacy” with it.

“These changes have come gradually. Families who lived there for generations moved on.

“Over time, the area has become older and quieter, with a steady injection of students and young professionals looking for homes near Manchester city centre.”

Images of Salford’s slums are a world away from what Ordsall is today, Debbie said.

A world away from Ordsall of the past

The housing co-operative where she works manages more than 100 properties in the area and used to struggle to fill them, but now there is a waiting list.

Another sign of the huge change that has taken place in Ordsall is the number of tourists visiting the area.

Some flock to visit the famous Salford Lads Club, others just want to stay in a traditional Salford house near Manchester.

Short-term holiday rentals are now popping up in the area, with some charging more than £100 a night.

Joseph O’Brien, 31, is an architect who moved to Ordsall five years ago with his partner.

Pointing to the rows of red-brick terraced homes, he says Ordsall is attracting people working in Manchester who are not afraid of the area’s history.

“There’s a growing number of people who are moving for access to the city centre, it’s a big appeal,” he added.

“I believe this is going to be one of those places where more people come to have a house with character and be close to Manchester.”

But there is still a feeling that the area has not become a victim to gentrification – at least not yet.

Like many parts of Greater Manchester, some in Ordsall rely on foodbanks to get by, Debbie added.

“Financially [some

people] might struggle in Ordsall, but it’s rich in other ways. There’s a very strong community, and you don’t get that everywhere. Here everyone knows each other.”

Salford Lads Club

Salford Lads Club was used as a tool to keep young people in Ordsall off the streets and into sport and culture for more than a hundred years.

Today it has gained international fame and recognition, and continues to operate in the area.

Its future was recently plunged into doubt over funding fears, but a campaign to raise £250,000 saved the club from closing.

But there are other places in Ordsall too which residents say have helped turn the area around.

A community cafe called the Tatton holds regular events to bring people in the estate together, as does nearby St Clement’s Church.

Branwen Dale, 53, has lived in Ordsall for 28 years and says places like the Tatton are a key part of the estate.

She has witnessed the best and worst sides of the area in her time living there.

“When I came here I experienced my parents’ house being broken into,” she said.

“Lads with baseball bats tried to get in through the window.

“But I can’t remember the last time I saw anything like that, it’s been a long time. It’s much safer now.”

Living in a house on Coronation Street, Branwen raised her two children in Ordsall and said neighbours helped keep them safe because everyone looked out for each other.

It is a place where people pop their head over the garden fence for a chat and know all their neighbours’ names.

Branwen added: “I’ve lived here a long time and seen the good, the bad and the ugly. There is so much good here.

“It’s the closest to living in a village in a city that I can imagine. Everyone knows each other, people walk in the cafe and say hello. There’s a very close-knit community.”

While Ordsall today is a different place from 20 or 30 years ago, some of the biggest changes to the area could still be to come.

There are plans to build nearly 300 homes on a new estate off Robert Hall Street, a scheme which Salford council approved last year.

Over the road at Regent Retail Park, there is an application to build more than 3,000 homes and one of the country’s tallest buildings, a skyscraper more than 70-stories tall.

Locals in Ordsall say they are worried about the extra demand on local services, roads, and public transport.

Debbie, from the Barracks, said: “There are shops at the retail park that people really rely on. We’ve got limited bus services. People here feel we just get left out with infrastructure.”

Other residents said there are parking problems in the area, with some Manchester city centre workers leaving their cars on the estate during the day.

These plans could change Ordsall beyond recognition and make the area a much different place to what it is today.

Salford City Council was approached for comment.