The developer English Cities Fund are looking to transform the 250-acre area around Salford Crescent into a “globally recognised destination” with a masterplan that includes a new transport hub, renovation of green spaces and improved connectivity between the two University of Salford campuses.
This week saw the developer identify the creation of Salford Rise – a podium that stretches over Frederick Road to connect the two Uni campuses as a key point in the new Masterplan, and an important priority for a share of the government’s £4bn Levelling Up Fund.
The podium would connect the university’s Peel Park and Frederick Road campuses, which are currently separated by Frederick Road, creating “a safe and accessible zone for pedestrians and cyclists, using a shared space surface over the road connecting into city-wide cycling and walking infrastructure,” according to the city council.
It’s just one part of a long list of improvements and renovations pencilled in for the area, one which will hope to create six key improvement zones including the aforementioned Innovation Zone, as well as plans to improve transport with an extension to the Metrolink connecting the university with Salford Quays.
Another key transport change will be the potential of closing the A6 off to traffic with public transport and pedestrians prioritised, as well as repurposing the existing railway lines at Salford Crescent into a pathway between zones.
The Innovation Zone will incorporate many of the University of Salford’s facilities and is divided by the podium on Frederick Road. The site will also feature a new-build Innovation Centre and a proposed area of public realm in the heart of the zone.
As part of the improvement to green space, plans include the creation of improved pedestrian and cycle paths, removing invasive species of trees from Peel Park and creating a recreation space that will “enhance the experience of transient users“.
The Crescent, the southern-most area of the development will incorporate a new residential development, with the creation of a mixed-use neighbourhood and a hotel within the former Police HQ building, and the continued re-development of The Old Fire Station into a mixed-use leisure and community space.
Consultations and developments to the regeneration are still on-going and will be for the foreseeable future, head on over to the English Cities Fund for more information…
