Winning design?

A reminder of the quality of the new developments in Salford Quays has come with the short listing of the MediaCity footbridge for an award by the Institution of Structural Engineers.

The structure is a cable swingbridge providing pedestrian access over the Manchester Ship Canal into the heart of MediaCity. According to the organisers of the award for structural and engineering excellence, the footbridge has been designed to respond to the particular geometrical constraints of its location. It anticipates future redevelopment of Trafford Wharf to the south and in conjunction with the existing Lowry Bridge enhances pedestrian links for the area as a whole.

The results of the competition for the award, which has been in operation since 1966, will be announced in November. The impact of MediaCity on Greater Manchester has been highlighted by Property Secrets, an investment organisation.

It listed a number of positive points for the city, namely:

• The movement of thousands of BBC personnel from London is having an impact on the residential market and a range of media and creative organisations;
• A 2.7% increase in the turnover of retail businesses in the year to March, according to the data organisation CityCO;
• A 12.8% rise in passenger numbers at Manchester Airport between February and March;
• A report by Knight Frank dubbing Manchester as one of the UK’s best cities with the strongest investment potential.

Alan Forsyth of Property Secrets said: “Demand for new properties in prime locations is experiencing strong growth and increased job opportunities, such as in Manchester, has meant an increased number of people buying properties in the city.” A similarly upbeat analysis of the impact on the local office market has come from officebroker.com. It reports increased demand from local businesses for office space in the area through the impact of 2,500 employees moving into MediaCity.

Jim Venables of officebroker.com said: “As a company we have witnessed an increase in demand in and around Salford Quays since the beginning of the year, a rise which is reflected in the personal experiences of many local providers we work alongside.”

Mark Canning of Canning O’Neill said: “Our experience backs up the optimistic views of Salford Quays where, for example, half the Metro building has now let with Insight taking 1,672 sq.metres (18,000 sq.ft.).”

The impact of MediaCity has brought a host of lettings at Digital Park and Digital World Centre. For example, Swiss Post has taken Unit 3 at Digital Park as an extension to its existing facility. Canning said of another new scheme, the Soapworks development, that “we are seeing considerable interest from potential occupiers.”