Strategy laid out for Manchester's future

The executive of Manchester City Council will this week consider a plan for the city’s development between now and 2018.

Like the previous 2009/2012 strategy, the new vision for Manchester will aim to put the city forward as a place to work, live and shop. Additionally, the strategy will seek to cement Manchester’s position as a major economic hub to encourage further investment.

As the city centre’s population has trebled in recent years to nearly 25k and with further population growth on the horizon, attracting enterprises will be a core feature of the strategy, ensuring job creation and employment opportunities for those living in the city.

The leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, commented: “The city centre is the beating heart of Manchester’s economy, and so it requires a considered strategy that provides the framework to support our objectives.

“To do this we must be ambitious and position ourselves as a global city to attract major national and international investment – securing long-term growth and employment.”

He added: “Of course, the other side of this strategy is ensuring that the thousands of people who live in the city centre are provided for with attractive neighbourhoods and good quality, sustainable housing and open public spaces – with the infrastructure in place to make travel into and across the city centre as easy as possible.”

Investment in infrastructure will feature heavily in the strategy, covering northern hub proposals, a bus priority scheme and the Second City Crossing (2CC) project.

The strategy document will also celebrate key achievements made by the city since 2009, including the completion of the £800m NOMA mixed-use redevelopment project’s initial phase, the delivery of international contemporary art centre HOME and the revamped the Town Hall site.