The next phase of Dock 5, a new riverside development in Ordsall, will see 152 new homes unveiled.
The new £53m neighbourhood is named after Salford’s former docklands and will eventually consist of 394 apartments and townhouses.
When it completes this autumn, there’ll also be a state-of-the-art gym, a cinema room, co-working spaces, and dining options, all within walking distance of Manchester city centre and MediaCityUK.
Dock 5 includes an expansive piazza of landscaped gardens as a nod to the area’s past as a Victorian botanical garden.
Residents at Dock 5 in Salford. Credit: Supplied
ForLiving’s development is part of Ordsall’s ongoing multi-million pound transformation into a waterfront community.
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The second phase will open up more homes to renters, after the first 121 apartments were snapped up in just two weeks last October – and viewings are available to book now.
Any profits from Dock 5 will be reinvested back into the local community, with a priority to help end homelessness locally.
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Promising to be an ‘oasis of city living’, each home pitches itself as a calming and stylish space where residents can work, live and play.
The team at Dock 5 says the green space, combined with its riverside location, will entice residents outside to make the most of long summer evenings spent relaxing and exercising outdoors.
Residents and locals have already been able to take part in yoga sessions and prosecco and pizza nights, put on by small local businesses. There are barbecues on the cards for this summer.
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Inside a Dock 5 home. Credit: Supplied
Mark Edwards, strategic lead at ForLiving, said: “Throughout Dock 5’s development, our future residents’ wellbeing has been a key focus for us. We’ve really tried to approach it from all angles – whether mental, social or financial – and facilitate that with beautiful surroundings and social events.
“We’ve put people at the heart of every decision we’ve made here, which has helped us add in those extra touches which will make lives easier – like parcel lockers, cleaning services, an on-site gym coming later in the year and even pet-walking services.
“We’ve been blown away by the interest from local people, university grads, creatives and professionals who are keen to benefit from quality, modern homes that bring city living at prices people can afford.
“We also know that people are increasingly passionate about being socially conscious, so they feel really reassured when they learn about ForLiving’s wider commitment to invest profits back into the community and to help build new schemes to tackle homelessness.”
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Rents at Dock 5 range from £853 for a one-bedroom or £1083 for a two-bedroom apartment.
Free animated projection to create dazzling display on major Salford building
Thomas Melia
A staple Salford landmark is undergoing a huge transformation for two nights only as part of a free animated event suitable for all ages.
Next week, the former Swinton and Pendlebury Town Hall, which is now known as Salford Civic Centre, will look a little different to usual, as the historical building is hosting a special animated display which will be projected onto it.
All of the frontage, situated on Chorley Road, will be lit up with a dazzling display depicting a collection of imagery titled ‘Swinton Ark’.
Salford Civic Centre, where ‘Swinton Ark’ will be projected onto / Credit: Supplied
Some of the visuals that visitors can expect to see alongside the ark include infamous Swinton objects, moments and memories.
This project is really wholesome too, as artist Lowri Evans got involved to help create and fill the ark with meaningful objects that the locals requested.
Evans perched up a mini stand in Swinton and asked a wide range of locals the question: “If you could save one object, what would it be?”, and she received a huge amount of responses.
Residents of the local area will be able to see their suggestions of precious items and special trinkets loaded onto the ark to save from the flood.
Salford Civic Centre has a 70-metre facade, and with all the cargo that the community want to bring onto the boat, it’s a good thing the building is so wide.
Don’t worry about missing a thing either, as this 12-minute projection will run every 15 minutes for just over three hours across two nights on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 January, meaning you can watch the projection until your heart’s content.
Artist Lowri Evans asking Swinton a very thought provoking question / Credit: Supplied
The whole display will be supported by some phenomenal sound and music arrangements too, and the animated screen will really come to life as it will also be 3D.
You can drop in at any point over the two days, and whether you watch the projection a thousand times over, or even just want to catch a glimpse of it, everyone is invited – and better yet, it’s free.
A dozen major new openings coming to Greater Manchester and beyond in 2025
Thomas Melia
GreaterManchester is already bursting at the seams with wonderful restaurants, shops and buildings, but surely we always have room to squeeze in more new openings each year.
As 2024 comes to a close we can celebrate some incredible Manc wins like, getting our own Jellycat store in Selfridges or the innovative K-beauty store, Pureseoul, which landed in Manchester Arndale in November.
2024 also saw the St John’s neighbourhood take shape, with openings like Fenix, Courts Club and Caravan well and truly up and running.
And of course, who could forget the launch of Co-op Live? The huge new arena has already hosted some seriously big names and there’s plenty more to come in 2025.
Manchester’s landscape is an ever-changing one and with the list below already STACKED (hint, hint), it’s safe to say it’s never a dull day for new openings in Manchester.
So here are all the major new launches you can get excited about in the year ahead.
Big new openings in Greater Manchester and beyond | 2025
1. Soho House – Old Granada Studios
The rooftop pool at White City House, the London equivalent.CGIs of Soho House Manchester.Arguably the mother of all new openings for Manchester in 2025. (Credit: Supplied)
It really is out with the old and in with the new, as luxury member’s club Soho House prepares to roost in the Old Granada Studios building.
Set to be a multi-storey hub featuring everything from restaurants to a rooftop pool, this extravagant destination is on track to be one of the most glamorous when it opens next year.
If you’re thinking of lying by the pool and taking an ‘Instagrammable moment’ stop right there! Soho House Manchester, much like its London counterpart, will have a strict no-phones policy, giving everyone complete privacy.
Its opening has been delayed several times over but it’s looking like 2025 will be Soho House’s year.
Alongside Soho House, this once booming TV news building is also welcoming some neighbours in the form of Mollie’s Motel, fit with a contemporary art collection and live music venue.
The Manchester site is trialling out a first for the Americana-inspired motel company as this is not only set to be their first city-centre location but also features studio suites, unlike their two other locations.
However, they aren’t losing all their authentic touches, this Manchester Mollie’s will have a classic diner stocking ‘New Yorker’ peanut butter and jelly pie.
Inside Chotto Matte, the new rooftop restaurant at Gary Neville’s St Michael’s development in Manchester. (Credit: Supplied)
A cross of Japanese and Peruvian delicacies, Chotto Matte is big on flavours and sophistication, with each guest treated to a ‘culinary journey’ through every dish they serve.
They really meant business with this restaurant as not only is it ‘high class’ it’s also high altitude, situated on the rooftop of Gary Neville’s St Michael’s development.
Not so much one of most exciting new openings in Greater Manchester but more a rebirth. (Credit: Oldham Coliseum)
Launching the careers of many of our favourite soap stars and breaking the hearts of many locals with its closure in 2023, Oldham Coliseum is ready to return to reign supreme once again.
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From Charlie Chaplin to Corrie greats like Bill Roache (Ken Barlow), this North West theatre has said hello to quite a few famous faces over the years.
After plans were announced not too long ago for a new multi-million pound but much smaller new site, it’s great to see this drama institution remain in its original and much-loved home instead, with a major refurbishment planned.
Opening in time for Christmas/Panto season 2025 – read more HERE.
5. Power Hall – Science and Industry Museum
The Light Lab at the Science and Industry Museum. (Credit: Science Museum Group)
Since 2019, this incredible part of Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has been closed for restoration works and has been dearly missed by all visitors.
The plan for this renovation sees the Museum preserve its original historic elements while making way for new spaces for playing and learning in.
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There will also be a gantry crane connected to the Power Hall which towers an impressive 8 metres high and 72 metres wide, wow.
6. National Portrait Gallery Unframed – MediaCity, Salford
Two people looking at a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I at FRAMELESS Manchester. (Credit: FRAMELESS)
The London-based gallery is moving up North to create a ‘ground-breaking’ new experience which sees paintings in a completely new light, literally.
Some of the world’s most famous paintings are about to be brought to life in an immersive digital experience, in collaboration with FRAMELESS Creative.
The long-term partnership which will be based in Salford is bringing new art experiences to wider audiences via an all-new digital exhibition.
This site will be designed around an expansive open plaza which will house a large stage, perfect for all varieties of family-friendly events and shows.
This Oxford Road hotspot is bringing a much-loved concept for visitors and locals alike combining street food with live entertainment and bars, a perfect city centre attraction.
Treehouse Hotel has confirmed details of its first Manchester restaurant, and a new summer opening date. (Credit: Supplied)
Nothing like a bit of shrubbery to break up the grey-scale skyscraper landscape of Manchester and this next new opening has taken it to the next level.
If there’s one thing ‘Treehouse Hotel’ is doing well it’s branding, from the restaurant titled ‘Pip’ to the decked-out green interior and exterior, this place is a nature lover’s paradise and will majorly transform a building that’s been a bit of an eyesore for years.
Making its grand arrival to the massive hotel scene in Manchester, their website seems to hint at a Spring launch with rooms bookable from April onwards.
A CGI mock-up of what the latest space will look like. (Credit: Supplied)
Get ready to make way for a Yorkshire favourite as next up on this list is the highly-anticipated launch of The Cut and Craft.
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The steak and seafood specialists will be opening their first site in Manchester and North West as a whole in the spring – this being their third location to date after the OG spot in York and the second site in Leeds, which our Hoot team vouches for wholeheartedly.
With a grand former banking hall being renovated for the new premises over on the corner of Mosley and New York Street, you can expect high-end ingredients turned into gourmet goodness. We’re talking freshly-shucked oysters, caviar; beef tartare, king scallops, fish and chips, steaks and so much more.
Undouvtedly one of the most talked about new openings in all of Greater Manchester. (Credit: Supplied)
From two football stadiums to Victoria Baths, a Grade II-listed swimming pool, Manchester has a lot to say for itself, even more so with Stockport Pyramid, a Northern landmark which is soon to double as an Indian restaurant.
This iconic symbol of Stockport is about to undergo a miraculous transformation into an Indian restaurant and banquet hall, perfect for all foodies SK1 or further afield.
11. More Terminal 2 additions – Manchester Airport
Credit: Supplied
Yes, we know a lot of T2’s large-scale refurbishment has already been completed over the past couple of years, but with the second and final phase of the update already well underway, there’s still a lot more to come in 2025.
Set to be completed by the end of the year, there are still various new shops bars, and restaurants due to open in the coming months – another 22, to be more specific.
A total of £1.3 billion has been pumped into this much-needed and long-awaited renovation and once all is said and done, it will benefit roughly 80% of all passengers travelling in and out of Manchester airport. Maybe 2025 is the year it gets off to a real flyer.
12. Chester Zoo Lodges – Cheshire
A mock-up illustration of the planned safari lodges. (Credit: Supplied)
And finally, we couldn’t forget our neighbours just down the road. From a green space-themed hotel to a lodge that sees you face to face with all kinds of different animals, 2025 is making us all be at one with nature, and none of us are complaining.
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There will be four different styles of lodges all inspired by and themed around traditional timber African safari lodges, with the first plans submitted in 2022.
Some of these incredible new staycation suites overlook a refreshing lake while others are set next to an enclosure full of free-roaming giraffes.
Daisy Jackson -
12th April 2022 
