Salford City Council approves plans to assess new Mayoral Development Zone
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Salford City Council has today (28 January) approved a report to explore the opportunity and benefits for the establishment of a Mayoral Development Zone (MDZ), which could pave the way for significant investment and growth in a key part of the city.
The decision was made at Cabinet with Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett and senior elected members signing off on the proposed plans.
Councillors supported the plans for an MDZ within the wider Western Gateway area of the city. The Western Gateway refers to the west part of the city, the area surrounding the Liverpool Rd and M62 corridors and along the route of the Manchester Ship Canal.
The ambitious plans are part of a cross-borough approach with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Trafford Council and could see thousands of job opportunities created alongside the huge economic boost that could be realised from regeneration through the MDZ.
Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said: “Realising the full potential of the Western Gateway and Port Salford and driving significant growth and economic benefit has long been a key aspiration for the city council.
Across Salford and Trafford there is the potential to generate thousands of new jobs, capitalising on planned employment space, new homes, as well as leisure and retail.
Good growth is one of the cornerstones of our priorities, outlined in our corporate plan This is our Salford, and these plans represent our commitment to delivering on our ambitions to create a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city.
Now this proposal has been approved, myself, along with senior elected members and officers will now begin to develop the MDZ further and explore all the possibilities associated with this approach.”
An MDZ refers to a defined area where a mayor can seek to channel significant investment and development activity with the goal of regenerating and revitalising that specific area.
The MDZ will provide clear governance, resources and a dedicated work programme to secure investment to unlock key development sites in the Western Gateway.
The Western Gateway is one of six growth locations in Greater Manchester identified to generate significant inclusive growth and economic benefits. In order to unlock potential growth, the site is reliant on significant highway and rail infrastructure investment.
Port Salford has been a long-term component of the city’s planned future regeneration and growth for the city council, and this move brings this vision a step closer to fruition.
Port Salford Phase 1 already has consent for the construction of a multi-modal freight interchange comprising 155,000 sqm (1,600,000 sqft) of warehousing with the potential to be the only inland tri-modal port in the UK.
In 2012, Government funding was secured to part finance and deliver Part WGIS which allowed development of up to 55,000 sqm at Port Salford.
Initial development in 2017, saw the completion of 55,000sqm of warehouse space occupied by Great Bear.
By also including Port Salford Phase 2 (adopted under Places for Everyone) and development land at the City of Salford Community Stadium, these sites collectively provide an opportunity to deliver 511,000sqm of new employment floorspace, 5,790 new jobs and circa £6.4m in business rates.
Approval to explore the MDZ is a key decision and is subject to 5-day call in period. The approval of these plans follows on from the decision made by Trafford Council’s executive on Monday 27 January to approve the plans. The approval decision will then be presented to GMCA’s executive on Friday 31 January for decision.