What is in store for Greater Manchester in the next decade?

What is in store for Greater Manchester in the next decade?

The last decade saw Manchester and its surrounding areas transform into one of the UK’s most important economies. As we move into a new decade, the ambitions for the region are reaching new heights and there are countless new plans to cement Greater Manchester as one of the best investment hotspots in the UK. Here are just a few examples of what the region can expect in the next 10 years:

A new city centre park

It has been over 90 years since Manchester saw a park being opened in the city centre, so it’s fair to say that the city needs some quality green space. Luckily, this could soon be changing – thanks to new plans to turn a derelict area behind Piccadilly Station into a 6.5-acre park. Located next to the former Mayfield Depot (which has since been turned into an entertainment venue), work on the new park will commence this year (providing the planning application is approved in February) and will be the first phase of the wider regeneration of the area. The ambitious plans will see the area transformed into a naturalistic park with the River Medlock running through it. There will also be new office spaces and retail spaces.

Metrolink will extend to the Trafford Shopping Centre

Greater Manchester’s tram network will be extending its services to the Trafford Centre, which is a large shopping and entertainment centre on the city’s outskirts. The £350m project has had its completion date brought forward by seven months and the highly anticipated service is due to start running in Q1 of this year, with testing and driver training already taking place. As well as the Trafford Centre, the line will also serve Trafford Business Park, which employs around 35,000 people in the region.

The city centre will become more pedestrianised and cycle-friendly

With mounting pressure for cities to become more environmentally friendly, Manchester City Council has numerous plans in place for the city centre to become more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. The first of which are the plans for Albert Square outside of Manchester town hall. The new plans have been given the go-ahead by the city council and it’s expected that the work will be completed by 2023. Once complete, the square will be expanded and most roads surrounding it will be eliminated. There is also a proposal in place to partially pedestrianise the Northern Quarter, which is located next to Piccadilly Train Station and the city’s main retail district. The idea behind these plans is to create a walking and cycling route between Manchester’s two main train stations, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria. The plans are currently out for public consultation.

MediaCityUK is expanding

MediaCityUK has already been a key driver in the Greater Manchester economy, bringing in huge corporations like the BBC, ITV and Bupa, and over the next ten years, the site is going to double in size. There are plans for ten new buildings that will include office spaces, retail spaces and build-to-rent homes. The proposal was approved back in 2016 and work is expected to commence this year. The expansion is going to be backed by £1bn of private investment.

The next ten years is looking very exciting for Greater Manchester which means that now is the perfect time to invest.

Looking to invest? Click here to find out more about The Interchange, our development in Greater Manchester.

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