MIPIM 2019: Rochdale works with Bury and Oldham to develop Greater Manchester’s Smart Growth A

Posted by on 13 Mar 2019

Promotional film can be watched here

Greater Manchester’s Smart Growth Area: For Jobs, Homes and Connected Communities

The vision for Manchester’s Smart Growth Area has been set out on the Manchester stand at MIPIM today and is the biggest new growth area in the city region. It contains one third of proposed new employment space and one sixth of new homes to be constructed in Greater Manchester in the next 18 years.

This re-imagining of employment space and housing will span three strategically-important boroughs that are not currently realising their economic potential.

This will help re-shape the physical and commercial landscape of Greater Manchester and help leaders achieve their long-held ambition of creating a sustainable, low carbon, financially self-supporting region by lifting whole areas out of their current and sustained economic decline.

Creating new, higher-quality and better-connected opportunities close to desperately-needed new housing and social infrastructure will help rebalance Greater Manchester’s economy and reduce the need for longer, higher-polluting commutes across increasingly congested networks.

Manchester’s Smart Growth Area (hitherto known as the Northern Gateway) will connect this section of the city region and its people to the growth that has passed them by for too long. It will connect three boroughs together and connect people to more secure futures in improved housing that is better connected to their employment and environment. It will better connect Greater Manchester to other regions and markets to the north and east.

The development area covers three sites of more than 20 million square feet of new mixed employment space and 10,900 new high-quality homes linked by new low-carbon transport infrastructure and 5G connectivity. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure will feature throughout.

Logistics centres will sit alongside advanced manufacturing, advanced materials production, renewables and green technologies. The existing skills base will be complemented by new links to Greater Manchester’s university sector, local colleges and schools. This improved range of opportunities (during construction and implementation) will energise the emerging jobs supply and provide a stronger and more resilient future for economically-disadvantaged communities.

Capitalising on its geographical position along the M62 corridor; Manchester’s Smart Growth Area’s three sites will be developed as a campus-style collection of developments that through innovative design will create desirable living spaces within easy reach of new and better job opportunities. New public transport links, walking routes and cycle ways will enhance liveability and provide residents and employees with greener leisure and commuting options.

This is a nationally-significant area of investment and growth for Greater Manchester and the local authorities involved (Rochdale, Bury and Oldham) are seeking interest from investors and developers (both commercial and residential) at MIPIM 2019.

A masterplan identifies three strategic sites totalling more than 3,500 acres of land adjacent to junctions 19, 20 and 21 of the M62 motorway. In total, it is estimated that commercial accommodation delivered across the Masterplan area could accommodate approximately 40,100 jobs (gross FTE) and result in the creation of 23,400 net additional jobs at the Greater Manchester level.

Based on this level of employment growth, it is estimated that activity could generate a gross and net additional GVA impact of £2,177 million and £1,589 million per annum.

This area is a key opportunity to support the future strategic growth of Greater Manchester for the creation of jobs, communities, infrastructure and technology in order to re-balance the GM economy.

Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Council said:

“We now have an opportunity to shape our own destiny using the attributes that we have already. We are sending a clear message about scale and ambition that should not be lost on people. We have the right infrastructure and natural surroundings; more so than many other places. Manchester’s Smart Growth area will create opportunities for people to live and work here, while benefiting from first class connectivity that will enable residents to take advantage of opportunities elsewhere across the city region.”

Please watch today’s MIPIM presentation here

For more information visit www.smartgrowthmcr.co.uk