Exploring The Salford Vision

This week, Manchester Invest Partner Salford City Council hosted a breakfast with North West Business Insider at the groundbreaking Eden New Bailey building, a pioneer in sustainability standards for offices.

The Salford Vision event focused on Salford’s bold plans for the future, bringing together local business leaders, and local authority representatives to discuss how the city plans to build on its success of rapid regeneration and growth over the last few years.

In Salford, residential towers have transformed the skyline. Once derelict docklands have now become the booming MediaCity is now a purpose-built media hub full of employment opportunities and home to national and international businesses. The redevelopment of the New Bailey district by the English Cities Fund (ECF) has created a vibrant mixed-use community within steps of Manchester City Centre with residential, leisure and retail offerings, and the recent addition of Eden setting the blueprint for sustainable office spaces worldwide.

According to Salford City Council, the city is forecasted to experience the fastest percentage growth in Greater Manchester over the next two decades, with the local economy set to grow by over 46 per cent with £3bn of growth. At the same time, however, several wards in Salford are among the most deprived in England, so a key focus for the city is inclusive and sustainable growth, making sure there are opportunities for everyone.

At the event, the first panel brought together local businesses BDO Accountants, Spice & Grind and Morson Group to discuss why they chose to base themselves in the city, how it has helped their businesses grow and how they can work with the local authority to better provide opportunities for local suppliers, talent and communities.

Then, Tom Stannard Chief Executive of Salford City Council was interviewed about what the change in government meant for Salford and why the city needed political stability more than ever.

He said “We feel a sense of optimism, primarily because the new chancellor is saying the single most important mission for the country is Economic Growth which is at the heart of what we do in Greater Manchester and Salford. We’ve got to be talking locally and with the government about the whole economy, it's not just about the central business district, it has to be about Eccles and Swinton. It has to be for everyone.”

He talked about the need for the city’s growth to be felt outside of the city centre in towns like Eccles and Swinton to bring the excellent conditions for growth that Salford is known for and its benefits across the whole economy; with the need for better social homes, education and training provisions to be shared across communities and at all ages.

Tom Stannard also discussed why Salford’s proximity to Manchester makes it an attractive proposition for international investors and the importance of leveraging that in a pitch to international investors alongside Salford’s unique offering.

He said “In GM, we roll as Greater Manchester and that’s how we exhibit ourselves to the world. If you talk to the market they think of GM as an economic centre. There is a distinctive offer in Salford but for the market, we have to make it clear that we’re greater than the sum of our parts.”

He discussed the importance of innovation and diversifying Salford’s business base, but also committing to Net Zero targets and being a leader in sustainable development.

He said “What we’re trying to do through commercial, residential and social housing is set a new standard for BREAM development. There is always a cost to that side of development but we are trying to push the market to a different level.”

The next panel brought together Phil Marsden Managing Director of North West of MUSE, Prof Mandy Parkinson, Professor of Business Innovation at Salford University and Nicola Wallis Group Residential Sales and Marketing Director at Scarborough Group to discuss how the private sector, public sector and academic institutions are working together to transform the city.

They discussed the city’s innovative Passivhaus regeneration schemes for social housing, to create truly energy-efficient and affordable homes. They also discussed the huge transformation around Chapel Street and Salford Crescent which is set to become Salford’s innovation zone bringing together business, academia and innovators.

Split into six zones, Crescent represents one of the UK’s most exciting regeneration opportunities and builds upon the successful renaissance of Salford in recent years as a key component of the Northern Powerhouse. The area has the potential to be a world-class, globally recognised destination for people to live, learn, work, visit and play.

A development framework is already in place to outline how public and private sector partners can work together to realise the vision of the area, utilising high-quality placemaking to meet the needs of communities.

Prof Mandy Parkinson said “Industry and academia working together is key. At Salford, that’s very much at the heart of what we do. It's industry-driven, to fix skills gaps. It's a long-term relationship not a transactional relationship between industry and academia.”

The panel discussed why it’s important to put the community at the heart of placemaking and activate the spaces so they feel that they can be used openly, building places within places.

To learn more about Salford’s vision for the future make sure you visit Crescent Salford’s masterplan and follow Salford Regeneration Story on LinkedIn for regular updates.

To learn more about how to join Salford City Council at international property events and showcase your vision for the future of our region with the Manchester Invest Partnership, view our packages.