Big day for Greater Manchester at MIPIM – Man United project, Salford, Airport and NorthFold
Greater Manchester civic leaders will be banging the drum in front of Europe’s property investors and their hangers on today with the regeneration project around Manchester United’s proposed new stadium taking centre stage.
While Andy Burnham has made it very clear that there will be no public money to build the stadium, it will be centre of a much more ambitious regeneration project around Trafford Docks and the wider area, he said.
This morning (12 March 2025) Colette Roche, chief operating officer of Manchester United said: “I think there’s a lot more opportunity for public private partnerships, and that’s something that we’re starting to talk about and pursue. That’s part of the reason that we’re here today. My phone has been going crazy since yesterday, with people who want to be part of this, because they see the benefit.
“So we believe really strongly, we’ll find the funds to be able to pay for the stadium, and also we understand that if we’re working as a team with the local government, we’ll be able to make sure that the surrounding area is something that we can all be proud of.”
On Tuesday, 11 March, Mix Manchester, the area near Manchester Airport pushed a £1bn science, innovation, and manufacturing campus and showcased the diverse range of the 2 million sq ft of space and how it will deliver up to 8,000 jobs.
Also yesterday, Salford City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Homes England, Peel Land and Muse officially launched the Salford Strategic Regeneration Forum.
Councillor Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration at Salford City Council said: “Establishing the Forum brings together a variety of benefits for the council, partners, developers and Salford residents. The objective is to increase the quality, pace and scale of regeneration delivery and place making in the city. This in turn helps to build local community wealth and growing the social economy.”
Later this afternoon, leaders from Bolton and Wigan will be getting together to push their “Welcome to NorthFold” project in panel discussion featuring Peel Land.
Bev Craig, who has also been in Texas for South by South Wet with Burnham, said: “Greater Manchester hopes to not only lead the way in increasing productivity across the North but to create a new, more inclusive economic model for others to follow. As we prepare to present Manchester as the UK’s leading growth opportunity to global businesses and investors at events like MIPIM and SXSW, it’s crucial that our ambitions for inclusive growth remain at the forefront.”
