Exchange Greengate, Building, Manchester, Development, Image, Design

Exchange Greengate Salford

Salford Architecture, northwest England, UK design by Whitelaw Turkington / Arup

Greengate moves forward apace as public space design team appointed

Whitelaw Turkington and Arup have been appointed as designers of the public spaces at Exchange Greengate in Central Salford. The 13-hectare, mixed-use development will create a new urban quarter linking the cities of Salford and Manchester, with a stunning public realm at its heart.

15 Sep 2008

Exchange Greengate

A public square, river walkway, water features and a new bridge across the River Irwell are all part of the stunning public realm designs that will establish Exchange, Greengate as a new city centre destination.

Just minutes from Victoria Station and the commercial heart of Manchester, Greengate will be home to 2,500 residential units and over 85,000 sqm of commercial floor space. The development is a partnership between Central Salford URC, Salford City Council, national regeneration agency English Partnerships, Network Rail and ASK Developments. Exchange, Greengate is expected to attract over £580m of private sector investment and secured planning permission in June 2007. The public realm team are scheduled to complete detailed designs in Spring 2009 and work on the ground is likely to begin Autumn 2009.

Chief Executive of Central Salford URC, Chris Farrow said “Despite the economic climate, there is a growing confidence in Central Salford as a place to live and to do business. The Exchange, Greengate is at the core of our vision for the area and part of a £3 billion investment programme that will see Central Salford transformed into a beautiful, vibrant and prosperous area. I’m delighted to welcome the design team to the project and I’m confident we will be creating something outstanding that will be both a popular and successful destination in its own right.”

Funding support for the design appointment and the public realm has been made possible by English Partnerships. Paul Spooner, Regional Director, English Partnerships said: “High-quality public spaces are an intrinsic part of successful developments. At Exchange Greengate these public spaces will be the element that not only binds the scheme together but importantly link the city centre of Manchester with the heart of Salford. Getting the right team in place means we will be able to deliver something exceptional.”

Whitelaw Turkington have a strong track record of delivering public realm landscape design in urban areas and in parks, streetscapes and public places, in areas such as Peninsula Square Greenwich, Gillett Square Hackney and St George’s Square Huddersfield.

Guy Denton, Director, Whitelaw Turkington said: “We’re delighted to be chosen as lead designers for what is one of the most significant public realm projects in the UK. The opportunity to apply some of the most innovative design thinking in order to create a vibrant and sustainable setting for this new urban quarter is utterly fantastic”.

Whitelaw Turkington will be working alongside Arup, a global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants providing a diverse range of professional services to clients around the world.

The design team will be supported by the project management expertise of Faithful & Gould and the quantity surveyor skills of Turner & Townsend.

Previously:

Greengate – historic core of Salford

Urban Cove + iconic bridge + Greengate Square
Exchange Greengate mixed-use development: Hamiltons Architects
Exchange Greengate public realm: Fielden Clegg Bradley

Press Release 25 Jan 2008
Communities Secretary welcomes green light for public space, jobs and homes at Exchange Greengate

Communities Secretary and Salford MP, Hazel Blears, has welcomed the news that national regeneration agency English Partnerships has put in place the final element for a visionary 13- hectare scheme that will provide a new urban quarter linking the cities of Salford and Manchester.

She said: “The partners are unlocking a vital connection between the two cities and helping to extend the economic success of Manchester city centre into Salford.”

The announcement of an £8.5 million funding package from English Partnerships gives a green light to the scheme that will create stunning public spaces, 4,000 jobs and 2,500 new homes.

Exchange Greengate will link Salford and Manchester through a new public square, river walkway and connecting bridge. Expected to attract over £600m of private sector investment, it will be a new, vibrant, mixed-use development, just minutes from Victoria Station and the commercial heart of Manchester, bounded by the River Irwell, Chapel Street, Blackfriars Road and Trinity Way.

The development, which secured planning permission in June 2007, is being led by a partnership between Central Salford URC, Salford City Council, English Partnerships, Network Rail and ASK Developments.

The public space elements of the scheme will see the creation of a new visitor destination characterised by green spaces, attractive watersides, pedestrian-friendly walkways, water features, a public square and a new bridge across the River Irwell. A key feature will be the recreation of the medieval market place reflecting the historic importance of the site as a centre of trade and commerce. Exceptional design quality and high standards of sustainability will be integral to the approach.

Paul Spooner, Regional Director, English Partnerships said, “Exchange Greengate is a fantastic development. Our funding is critical to unlocking the regeneration potential of the area and in reconnecting Salford and Manchester through a vibrant public space area. One of English Partnerships’ key aims is to achieve high-quality, well-designed, sustainable places for people to live, work and enjoy and Greengate certainly hits the mark.”

Chief Executive of Central Salford URC, Chris Farrow, outlined the importance of this funding. “The £8.5 million from English Partnerships is critical to the transformation of Central Salford. Exchange Greengate is an integral part of the Regional Centre and will become a high quality, thriving destination for visitors, residents and businesses. It will also have wider impacts, opening the doorway to the revival of Chapel Street and the re-birth of the River Irwell as a waterside public corridor linking Manchester to Salford.”

Councillor Derek Antrobus, Salford City Council’s lead member for planning said: “This scheme is vital to the continuing regeneration of Salford. Greengate is an extremely significant part of our vision for the city. We’re committed to investing in and improving open spaces in the city, especially green space, and we’re confident that the public realms at Greengate will be an attraction for current and future residents of Salford.”

John Hughes, Development Director, Ask Developments said: “Improving the public spaces at Greengate will make a massive difference to the area. Green, open spaces, public art and water features all go towards creating a beautiful and vibrant place to be – an environment that will complement our developments and create a successful and popular destination.”

Exchange Greengate will see the transformation of 13 acres of predominantly underused, brownfield land into over 2,500 residential units and over 85,000 sq m of commercial floor space creating around 4,000 new jobs.

Exchange Greengate public realm: Fielden Clegg Bradley

The funding from English Partnerships will make the public realm proposals possible and is essential in terms of bringing forward the wider regeneration of the area. The masterplan proposes three district public realm areas – Greengate Square, Greengate Link and the Urban Cove.

The Urban Cove will bring the River Irwell back to life, an iconic bridge will link the two cities of Manchester and Salford and stunning water features will attract people down to new public space. The Greengate Link will be a new pedestrian route under the existing viaduct. Lined with water features, light installations and public art, it will be the perfect place for an urban stroll. Greengate Square will be the green heart of the area. Surrounded by semi-mature trees, a central lawn and granite terraces, the Square will re-establish Salford’s ancient market square with two timber monuments marking the site of the historic cross and exchange and celebrating Salford’s heritage.

Greengate is the original historic core of Salford. In the mid 1800s it was home to two thirds of the city’s population. The development of the Greengate site represents the recreation of the historic centre of Salford as a twin partner to Manchester. The Exchange Greengate development is expected to take 10 – 15 years to complete.

English Partnerships is the government’s national regeneration agency delivering high quality, sustainable growth in England. We do this by developing our portfolio of strategic projects and acting as the government’s advisor on brownfield land. We also ensure that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider government objectives. English Partnerships helps create communities where people can afford to live and want to live. Information on projects and programmes can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk

English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation are working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to establish the proposed Homes and Communities Agency.

Exchange Greengate images / information from Creative Concern, Manchester, 250108

Exchange Greengate development : Hamiltons Architects

Canopus Greengate – two towers
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Arca Architects
Mixed-use Salford development for the BSC Group
46 ; 30 storeys high + 8 storey 5-star hotel + apart-hotel block

Location: Greengate, Salford, Manchester, Northwest England, UK