Henley Investments is bringing forward plans to redevelop Regent Retail Park, into a vibrant new neighbourhood for Salford.

The scheme will represent a significant investment into the area, revitalising this Neighbourhood Centre with five acres of public open space, up to 3,200 new homes across ten unique buildings, and almost 10,000 sq meters of commercial and community space that can meet the needs of future generations. 

The application site is the c.130,000 square feet of retail space in the northern part of Regent Retail Park, currently occupied by Costa Coffee and JD Sports at one end to TK Maxx at the other, and the associated car parking. On the boundary of Salford and Manchester, the retail park itself lies between Regent Road (A57) to the south, the railway to the north, Oldfield Road to the west, and Ordsall Lane to the east.

The site is owned by Henley Investments, who purchased it in October 2020. Henley has a strong track record of significant residential and commercial projects that positively contribute to the local area and their communities. 

Our plans for Regent Park will deliver up to 3,200 new, high-quality homes. With a mixture of types and tenures, from one bedroom to three bedrooms, this new community will suit all needs from new families, young professionals, and first time buyers. We are also committed to providing a proportion of these new homes as affordable. 

The development proposals are concerned with the northern portion of the retail park only. Sainbury’s supermarket, its petrol station, and the store space to the south east of the site will not be affected by the proposals.

Regent Park will reconfigure 8,500 sq m of retail space into 15 new units, creating modern spaces for a range of shops to serve the community at different times of the day and for different purposes. We are in conversation with all existing tenants at the retail park to understand if they would want to return to site. All of this work is going into a dedicated Retail Strategy, being developed in partnership with specialist retail and leisure property specialists Dstrkt, to ensure the Regent Park is a Neighbourhood Centre for all.

The new development will make use of the existing internal road within the retail park, accessed from Ordsall Lane to the east and Oldfield Road to the west, which have further onward to connections to Chapel Street (A6), Trinity Way (A57(M), Manchester’s inner ring road) and Regent Road (A57). 

Residential parking will be provided but as we are seeking to promote more sustainable modes of transport, vehicle movements will be deliberately limited – the linear centre of Regent Park will be pedestrianised with through access maintained for fire, refuse and service vehicles only.

Yes! The linear centre of Regent Park will be pedestrianised, with new footpaths and cycle routes installed throughout and ample cycle parking provided for residents and visitors alike. 

New routes will knit into the wider community, running out of the site and opening up connections with nearby neighbourhoods like Salford Crescent, Middlewood Locks, Spinningfields, and Castlefield, as well as St Johns Quarter over the newly opened footbridge to Factory International.

There are a number of public transport options within a short walk or cycle ride from the site, such as Deansgate Railway Station, Cornbrook Tram and Salford Central Railway Station. A number of bus routes also serve the area, including the 33 and 33B. Salford Council is also exploring the potential to realign the Metrolink extension between Salford Crescent and Salford Quays in the future, to further enhance access to the site by public transport.

The site is a designated Neighbourhood Centre under Salford City Council’s planning policy, and Henley Investments recognise the value of the existing retail to the local community. However, the site is outdated and through significant investment in the area, we can move the site on from a retail park based on the needs of the past, to a new, improved and vibrant district centre.

The redevelopment will continue to provide the valued shops and services currently available, and complement it with a diversity of stores, restaurants and leisure uses. As a modern residential neighbourhood, it can also help to address the housing crisis across Greater Manchester, providing much-needed high-quality new homes. The scheme will provide jobs during and after the construction phase, as well as knock-on benefits for shops and services from the additional spend of new residents living at the development.

We are committed to creating a new neighbourhood that meets the needs of the local community, so please do share your thoughts on how we can support the people of Ordsall, Salford and the wider city region.

Henley Investments is committed to meaningful engagement with the local community and is determined to deliver a scheme that local people can be proud of, by involving local people from the start.

We completed our initial consultation in March 2023 which was a chance to showcase our initial vision for the site. We are now back for a second round, asking the people of Salford to join the conversation about how this space can be delivered – what would you like to see? The consultation is live until Friday 20 October, so please share your thoughts by then for them to be taken into consideration by the team. 

All the feedback provided in the first stage, and during this period, will be reviewed in detail and used to shape our designs. This will then be collated and summarised in a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).

This SCI document sets out how we consulted the community, and what the response to the plans have been, and will be submitted alongside the planning application.

We are hoping to submit an outline planning application to Salford City Council before the end of 2023. If you chose to stay updated with the scheme, we will share details so you can follow the progress.