As the economic heart of Greater Manchester, rapid growth in all four frontier sectors will be achieved whilst supporting and accelerating growth across the city-region. The Central Growth Cluster will create over 90,000 new jobs. Employment creation will be generated through the regional centre with direct opportunities across the Manchester Salford Innovation Zone (including the Oxford Road Corridor, Manchester Piccadilly, Media City and The Quays, and Salford Crescent).
The alignment of skills provision, across a range of levels and institutions, will ensure a pipeline of skilled Greater Manchester residents to meet the needs of expanding jobs markets, notably in FinTech, digital, creative, media and broadcasting, and professional services.
The development of this growth cluster will be underpinned by the expansion and development of public transport infrastructure (delivery of HS2, NPR, a new Liverpool to Manchester rail line, Quality Bus Corridors, Metrolink extensions, and active travel improvements) which will connect people in all parts of the conurbation to the regional centre, enabling more parts of Greater Manchester to benefit from economic prosperity generated at the core.
Proposed rail enhancements, could make Manchester Piccadilly one of the best connected and productive locations in the North of England. The area has the potential to deliver 40,000 new and sustainable jobs, 13,000 new homes and close to a million square metres of commercial development.
The new skills being created in health innovation and R&D are being supported by our world class universities and plans for the redevelopment at North Manchester General Hospital. The redevelopment is seeking to deliver high quality and sustainable health campus where people will get well, learn and work. It will provide a focal point for the community, with integrated health and social care facilities, high quality new homes, and access to better education and training. This is bolstered by funding secured through Phase 1 of Government’s New Hospitals Programme.
The Central Growth Cluster will provide 58,000 new homes on brownfield land. Homes created in the central area will be driven by a number of new and improved landmark neighbourhoods (including Victoria North, Central Salford, Salford Crescent, and Holt Town) and maximise the connectivity of planned developments to public transport networks. The Central Growth Cluster also spreads into the northern tip of Trafford offering further significant housing growth potential.
The Victoria North programme is the single largest residential development and regeneration programme in Greater Manchester. Some 15,000 low carbon new homes will be delivered over the next 15 years through the repurposing and densification of under-utilised and brownfield land in a well-connected and sustainable location, at the core of the conurbation.
Building on the growth of the city centre and major planned investment into the North Manchester General Hospital campus, Victoria North presents a major opportunity to rebalance the northern neighbourhoods of the Regional Centre, facilitating sustained residential and population growth whilst knitting together a series of strategic national and local objectives concerning affordable housing, net zero, place creation, inclusive growth, health and education.
Our unique leisure and culture offer in Greater Manchester will be expanded upon and made more accessible through the Central Growth Cluster. Opportunities in the cultural and creative industries will be further grown, building on the existing major cluster in the regional centre.
Major sporting, leisure and recreational infrastructure, including new facilities such as the Co-Op Arena and Aviva Studios will help drive Greater Manchester’s tourism offer, supported by enhanced connectivity, to become a globally recognised destination.
