Large-scale regeneration within the Trafford area of Greater Manchester, including at Shell’s 1,100-acre Carrington site, moved a step closer this week with the conclusion of a consultation into the council’s core strategy.
Last October, Trafford council named Shell’s former chemical works site at Carrington as a strategic location for regeneration in its draft core strategy, with 1,500 homes and more than 180 acres of employment use earmarked for the site.
But Trafford council’s adoption of its core strategy has been held up by a dispute over a piece of land at Davenport Green. The council had initially proposed bringing 89 acres of the 336-acre site, owned by Royal London Asset Management, into the green belt.
Following the government’s decision to award enterprise zone status to MAG Developments’ Airport City site earlier this year and proposals for a MediPark at the University Hospital South Manchester site in Wythenshawe, the council decided in June that the land at Davenport Green should remain outside the green belt, as it has been for 15 years, but with strict development criteria.
A six week consultation into the matter concluded on Monday. The findings will be heard by the Planning Inspector when the examination in public of the core strategy resumes on 28 September.
Royal London has welcomed the council’s decision not to add its land to the green belt, but has asked that the site be designated as a strategic location.
Sources suggest that Shell will either begin the hunt for a development partner, or more likely a buyer, for the Carrington site once the core strategy is adopted.
A spokesman for Shell said: “Shell continues to consult with a number of stakeholders and has yet to determine the future for the site.”
daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com
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