Developers Peel L&P have unveiled early proposals for an eventual £1 billion redevelopment of Pomona Island in Trafford.
Following a period of public consultation, the revamped masterplan – which is said to cover almost 25 acres of currently-underdeveloped Brownfield land – would transform around 60% of the masterplan area for public usage, as well as open space to help “promote active lifestyles and the natural beauty of the waterfront site” – which is surrounded by both the Manchester Ship Canal and the Bridgewater Canal.
The plans feature around 2,700 homes – including apartments and townhouses – as well as a leisure and commercial space, which would be built on the remaining land.
Plans were also submitted for a 162-home private rent scheme at Pomona Wharf last week.
On top of the residential redevelopments, Peel L&P has also said that there’ll be a network of new footpaths and cycleways that would help to connect the site, with easy access to Metrolink stops at Pomona Island and Cornbrook interchange located at the site too, which would help to promote “sustainable travel”.
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Peel L&P said the 15-year proposals follow the original 2020 masterplan, which was then agreed by Trafford Council.
They also “form the basis” of an outline planning application to be submitted in spring 2022.
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But, the crown jewel of the plans and what is sure to be the most intriguing element for local residents, is that the regeneration would be centred around a 5.2-acre waterfront park and new public access to a mile-long stretch of waterfront.
Developers Peel L&P have unveiled early proposals for an eventual £1 billion redevelopment of Pomona Island in Trafford / Credit: Peel L&P
Ideas for re-using land under the railway arches also form part of the proposals, and include plans to create outdoor sports facilities and play areas.
A range of public consultation events on the plans is expected early next year.
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“Nestled between two famous canals, Manchester Waters has one of the most unique locations out of any our Peel Waters regenerations schemes,” explained James Whittaker, Executive Director for Development at Peel L&P.
“We’ve taken that into careful consideration to develop a green vision for the site which will go to public consultation early next year.
“This vision has nature at its heart by improving public access to the beautiful canals with a new park and open spaces bringing many health and wellbeing benefits to residents, commuters and families.
“The masterplan also supports Trafford Council’s wider housing strategy and its excellent connectivity to Manchester, Trafford and Salford brings many exciting opportunities to create a really special place for a thriving new waterfront community with access to new and improved sustainable travel routes.”
Cllr James Wright – Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration – added: “This exciting masterplan supports a number of our commitments including the building of more homes and developing a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future for our communities.”
Featured Image – Peel L&P
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Manchester’s free summer picnic is coming back to Oxford Road
Danny Jones
Manchester’s free ‘Summer in the City Picnic’ is returning to the Oxford Road Corridor later this year, promising plenty of live music and entertainment, family-friendly fun, outdoor activities and lots more.
Coming back to Circle Square for the second time, the now annual and completely free city centre festival will set up for its sophomore edition right on Symphony Park.
Surrounded by numerous local businesses located within the thriving Bruntwood SciTech and Vita Group neighbourhood, this mini-district is once again set to draw in crowds from all over Manchester.
With that in mind, get your coolers, picnic baskets and blankets ready: it’s time for some alfresco fanfare.
Kicking off next month for one day only, Circle Square‘s ‘Summer in the City Picnic’ 2.0 will get underway pretty much from the outset, with the organisers promising a full day of festivities.
Visitors can look forward to an even more jam-packed schedule than last year, with creative workshops and interactive experiences, DJs right through to the evening, alongside roaming steel drum performances and even silent disco adventures, just to name a few.
Other events include: sip and paint sessions, pop-up mini golf and basketball shoot-outs; ‘foot pool’, a seasonal bouquet bar, as well as a dedicated picnic space for dogs, complete with bespoke pup portraits. Adorable.
2025 saw plenty of furry friends steal the show and become local celebrities for the day, and we’re sure ’26 will be no different.
The long picnic tables will once again take centre stage, creating a relaxed space for families and friends to come together over great food from Circle Square’s wide mix of indie restaurants and cafes, such as Gooey, Onda, Hello Oriental, Half Dozen Other, Saffa Soul, North Bar, Monkey Trio and more.
Punters are, obviously, to bring along their own picnic bits, packed lunches and favourite scran, but it’s nice to have the option of treating yourself to stuff on-site.
Better still, Circle Square’s proximity not only to Oxford Road train station, but the St Peter’s Square tram stop and various bus routes (even Piccadilly isn’t really that far) means that this is super accessible for anyone interested – not to mention that it’s completely free and open to all members of the public.
Taking place on Saturday, 8 August, we hope to see you there and hopefully with the sun shining.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures/Jody Hartley (supplied via SH Comms)
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UK set for another ‘potential’ heatwave next week after warmest June on record
Emily Sergeant
England could be heading towards another potential heatwave early next week, the Met Office has revealed.
While it’s obviously true that temperatures this week have returned to average for the time of year, bringing largely settled conditions for many, once next week rolls around, some parts of the country could be heating up once again – with the Met Office revealing what Greater Manchester residents should prepare for.
For the early part of next week, temperatures will definitely rise and perhaps reach what are considered heatwave conditions for some.
But if this is the case, the forecast suggests that it’s ‘unlikely’ to reach the high temperatures and humidity of last month’s heat, and the North West won’t be getting the worst of it.
The potential of next week’s heatwave comes after last month was officially declared the UK’s warmest June on record.
After a week of respite from the heat, high pressure moves in this weekend, dominating many southern and central areas for the next 10 days.
A defining feature of the month’s heatwave was the ‘exceptionally warm’ overnight temperatures, with frequent ‘tropical nights’ helping to drive the highest average June minimum temperatures on record.
Giving an insight into what’s to come as we head into the weekend, Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Tony Wisson, explained: “Toward the weekend, high pressure will continue to build in across most of the UK as it extends from the Azores. This will lead to more settled, warm or very warm conditions for many, especially across England and Wales, though some rain may still affect the far north.
“The forecast for this weekend suggests that temperatures could approach high 20s°C across parts of England, perhaps 30°C in parts of the southeast, with values of mid to high 20s°C in Wales.
“Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas, the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low.”
Emily Sergeant -
2nd December 2021 
