Manchester United has welcomed the announcement of government support for the project to regenerate the area around Old Trafford, with chief executive Omar Berrada describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.
A UK Treasury statement on Saturday evening said Chancellor Rachel Reeves was championing the Old Trafford project as “a shining example” of the government’s plans to promote economic growth.
The major regeneration project will see new housing, commercial and public space as a shining example of the bold pro-development model that will drive growth across the region, with authorities exploring setting up a mayoral development corporation body to redevelop the area.
The project will hand Manchester United a major boost in their plans for a new 100,000-capacity Old Trafford, replacing the existing stadium, which has stood in place since 1910.
The government is also working with Greater Manchester to release growth-generating land around transport hubs through local development orders, such as around Castleton Station, with the potential for this innovative use of existing powers to kickstart building in these sites to be a blueprint for the rest of the country so that every corner of the UK benefits from growth.
The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “With our devolved powers we’re mobilising the whole Greater Manchester system to lock in growth for the next decade and reap the rewards for our city-region and UK plc.
“The project around Old Trafford represents the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012 and is a key part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth across Greater Manchester. We look forward working with the government on moving freight away from the site around Old Trafford to new locations to open up capacity our rail network, and unlock massive regeneration potential – delivering benefits across the whole of the North.”
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