Consultation begins on Manchester retail park regeneration plans
Consultation has begun on regeneration plans to transform the former Central Retail Park site in Manchester to a mixed-use scheme.
Details of a refreshed strategic regeneration framework (SRF) were heard by Manchester Council executives in December, updating a previous SRF which was agreed in 2020.
The draft SRA lays out plans for the 457,000 sq ft site, which closed down in 2019, including space for new offices and workspaces, green areas, transport routes, as well as retail and leisure spaces. This would include spaces for shops and cafés for the new working population on the site.
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is exploring options for office solutions in Manchester, as it looks to support the Government’s commitment to locate more civil servants outside of London to support levelling up. The newly proposed development has thus led to interest from the GPA to locate government offices on the site.
The former retail park, which was purchased by Manchester Council in 2017 for £37m, used to be home to household names such as Toy ‘R’ Us and Argos.
The newer SRA revealed that the local council had approved plans for ‘The Garden’, a huge open park space, as part of the developments, after a long battle between environmental campaigners and councillors over the future of the site.