Salford City Council has approved Henley Investment Management’s plans for the £1.3billion Regent Park development, a new green, mixed-use neighbourhood that will deliver up to 3,300 new homes.
Located in Salford, the existing Regent Retail Park is one of Salford’s designated Local Centres, a town centre that must provide shops, services, leisure opportunities, food and drink uses and community facilities.
The approved plans will retain considerable retail space and transform the 130,000 sq ft site at Regent Retail Park into a new retail, residential and community neighbourhood. The development will meet the retail and service needs of the existing and future residents, with a diverse range of uses, contributing to a strong day and night economy.
The new retail space, made up of around 15 units (86,000 sq ft) of varying size, will consist of local and independent businesses, as well as high-street brands and service providers, with all existing retailers being invited back when the regeneration is complete.
The mixed-use masterplan, designed by Matt Brook Architects, will deliver a placemaking-led new urban quarter in two phases, consisting of ten buildings. Recognising the importance of the retail provision to the local community, there are plans to enable parts of the local centre to remain open and to continue to trade while construction is underway.
The approved proposals were created to reimagine the brownfield site, promoting efficient use of land and providing new homes in an urban location, easing pressure on greenbelt land. Regent Park will create a new mixed-use community and deliver up to 3,300 energy-efficient new homes, with a mix of types and tenures, including 660 affordable homes.
Ian Rickwood, chief executive of Henley Investment Management, commented: “Our approved scheme for Regent Park will deliver a new green and sustainable neighbourhood, a renewed local centre for Salford. Our plans recognise the importance of retail and services for the community, retaining significant enhanced provision that will cater to the needs of local people, while delivering much-needed high-quality homes, including a significant proportion of affordable homes, a new park, a village square and community forum.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with Salford City Council, stakeholders and the local community to deliver our vision.”
The scheme also includes five acres of public open space, with West Union Park at its heart, a 3.5-acre park accompanied by new children’s play space and a village square, able to host pop-up events.
Henley says that the scheme will be a ‘people-first’ development where people will dwell, walk and cycle, with new routes opening up connections with nearby neighbourhoods. The development will include 1,000 dedicated cycle parking spaces for residents and up to 600 car parking spaces and will integrate with transport routes for simpler, safer and sustainable connections between Salford and Manchester.
It is estimated that the construction of the scheme will create over 900 jobs, while a further 160 will be generated from the new retail provision alone.
