The first images of a brand-new foodie destination on the waterfront down at Salford Quays have now been released.
As part of a wider £3.5 million transformation of the waterfront stretch at Quayside MediaCity, and set to open sometime early this summer, the new drinking and dining destination will be known as ‘Central Bay’, and not only will become the first of its kind in Salford, but also one of the biggest in the Greater Manchester region.
Named after the original stretch of dock that was once a thriving loading bay during the industrial revolution, and sitting at the heart of the areas different cultural landmarks like The Lowry, Imperial War Museum North, and Coronation Street’s studios, Central Bay will take over 25,000 sq ft and fill it with “exciting food and drink experiences”.
Not only that, but the destination will also occupy 2,000 sq ft of south-facing outside terrace space – with room for up to 600 visitors to be able to enjoy unrivalled views of some of Manchester’s most iconic landmarks.
This means Central Bay will be one of the biggest independent food and drink operations in the North.
According to operators Blend Family – which is working in partnership with Quayside MediaCity to deliver the Salford concept, and is the team behind the hugely-successful food halls Cutlery Works in Sheffield, and The GPO in Liverpool – Central Bay will be home to four new independent restaurants, and 13 kitchens.
The food hall area at Central Bay is to be known as Kargo, while the street vendor elements will be branded as Kargo Mkt – which operators say is to “alignin with the area’s rich history”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Central Bay will also play host to pop-up events, indie markets, and live music performances, as well as a recreation and play space for children.
More announcements are set to be made in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled.
A map showing where Central Bay will be located on Salford Quays / Credit: Quayside MediaCity
“Central Bay is an ambitious and transformational project for Quayside MediaCity which will be a fantastic place for our growing number of residents, workers, students and visitors to enjoy great food, in a tranquil yet vibrant waterside setting,” Stephen Wild, Managing Director for MediaCity, said ahead of the launch later this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It will be truly unique and a celebration of local food, drink and art.
“Central Bay will add another dimension to MediaCity and Quayside and will bolster its growing reputation as a leading leisure and cultural destination.”
Matt Bigland, Founder and CEO of Blend Family, also called Central Bay an “exciting development”, adding that: “The passion the Quayside MediaCity team have for creating new, exciting experiences for everyone who lives, works, and visits the area is infectious.
“We can’t wait to announce Central Bay and Kargo’s first line-up of incredible food vendors and bring our offering to Salford.”
Featured Image – Quayside MediaCity
News
11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2023 
