Chancellor ‘championing’ Old Trafford regen, Rochdale commuter homes
The redevelopment of the area around Manchester United’s planned 100,000-capacity new stadium could be a “shining example of the bold pro-development” approach Labour is adopting, according to Rachel Reeves.
The Chancellor announced this weekend that she wants to go faster and further to drive growth and turn the page on “the decline and decay of the past”.
As part of this, she has declared her support for plans to regenerate land around Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, suggesting she will help facilitate the relocation of the Freightliner terminal to Newton-le-Willows.
Trafford Council and the GMCA are planning to set up a mayoral development corporation to drive the delivery of homes and commercial space around the ground.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “With our devolved powers we’re mobilising the whole Greater Manchester system to lock in growth for the next decade and reap the rewards for our city-region and UK plc.
“The project around Old Trafford represents the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012 and is a key part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth across Greater Manchester.”
He added: “We look forward to working with the government on moving freight away from the site around Old Trafford to new locations to open up capacity on our rail network, and unlock massive regeneration potential – delivering benefits across the whole of the North.”
Reeves has also pledged to “take an axe” to red tape to speed up the delivery of dense residential developments around train stations.
A statement released by the government said it will ensure a presumption in favour of development “for acceptable types of schemes in key areas”, including around train stations.
Reeves is working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Burnham on plans to put this approach into action around Castleton station in Rochdale.
A planning framework to guide the redevelopment of more than 600 acres around Castleton station as part of a wider masterplan to deliver up to 7,000 homes on brownfield land around Rochdale, Castleton, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough and Mills Hill stations
“Too often the answer to new development has been ‘no’,” Reeves said.
But that is the attitude that has stunted economic growth and left working people worse off. We need to do things differently and that journey began as soon as I started at the Treasury in July. These are our next steps and I can say for certain, there is more to come.”
Great to see. One of the things people don’t talk about enough is how the TCPA really harmed places like Rochdale. It didn’t get to build out large amounts of 1930’s suburbia like in the south of GM, and so got frozen without a material middle class, That made it doubly difficult to deal with industrial decline and the shift to white collar employment, even though it has some great connectivity and potential for more.
By Rich X
Very good. Capital investment to create common wealth not to extract common wealth.
By Anonymous
This is going to be huge not just for the area around Old Trafford but for the rail network through out the city. Long over due. 100k stadium as well – not many cities in the world with one of those.
By Bob
Looking forward already to the announcement of an audit of the emissions generated by the “bold pro-development” approach Labour is adopting
By Anonymous
George Osborne in a wig, former global economist/complaints handler, will be happy to back anything that she thinks will take headlines away from her abysmal short record. But headlines is all it is, and a good spend of UK finances it is not. How this has been lobbied for and contrived towards is entirely what’s wrong with the UK right now, and shows that despite the likes of HS2 the same people are still in actual charge, making the same bad decisions.
By Jeff
I welcome any progress on Old Trafford regeneration, but this really highlights a complete lack of political imagination.
The need for a national finance minister to personally wade in on a regeneration plan is abnormal. The need to an alternative statutory board to a local authority to deliver a regeneration plan is abnormal. Nothing seems to be moving past soundbites.
Set up the MDC and just move.
By Anonymous
Is this before she announces the billions in the South East’s airports. A pat in the pocket, is better than a pat on the back Chancellor.
By Elephant
No doctors no school
By Anonymous
We are already having homes developed in castleton but where are the extra schools and doctors that will be needed. For years people have been building houses and not putting any thought in to the services needed. Castleton seems to be bearing the brunt of the 900 or so houses that rochdale is required by the government to build. Castleton is a very run down area and many of the shops have closed since the cycle lane was built. We need regeneration of the area but more houses is not the solution.
By Concerned
Unfortunately the signs are that she will double down on not extending HS2 north which means the government have effectively got away with building a £100bn commute railway to London with diabolical cost / benefit whilst attention int terms to major enhancements funding turns to Euston and Heathrow. Once again, the north is shafted by how we fund, plan and deliver major infrastructure and all the ridiculous politiking around that.
By Westminster dysfunction
@ Concerned 10:41pm
There is a new primary school site adjacent to the new homes being built on Nixon St but the new school is not being brought forward yet due to an excess of places in the area.
The GP’s practice, just off Nixon St, actually has capacity for more patients.
You’re right about the shops and the cycle lane though.
By Mis-Manager