£76m road to bridge ‘locked out’ Trafford communities a step closer

Trafford council’s executive has approved a report on infrastructure and development proposals which will create ‘New Carrington’ – described as a ‘historical ambition’ by senior councillor Liz Patel.

Delivering a report on the plans Coun Patel, who is the authority’s executive member for economy and regeneration, said: “Most of the communities in Trafford prosper because they are well connected. 

“Many people choose to live in Trafford because they can access good schools, the city centre and motorway links.

“But this is fundamentally not the case for some of our communities who remain locked out of that opportunity. A project decades in the making is at a critical stage.”

She said it had been the longstanding goal of Trafford council to deliver a new link road to increase capacity to the existing A6144 west of Banky Lane.

“It is a route that despite large-scale residential and industrial development over decades remains largely unchanged since the 19th century,” she said.

“This has left communities isolated with poorly congested highway links, little access to rail or Metrolink services and an infrequent and traffic-impacted bus service,” she continued.

Viability studies for the Carrington Relief Road were carried out in 2020 and 2021 when the cost was estimated at £33m.

However, an updated assessment has more than doubled that figure with Coun Patel citing increasing the width of the road to accommodate ‘active travel’ measures [like cycle and walking lanes] has led to increased costs.

Coun Patel said that a planning application for the new relief road would be brought forward at the end of this year.

Its delivery is linked to Greater Manchester’s Places for Everyone (PfE) masterplan which sets out development and infrastructure objects across nine authorities in the city region over the next 15 years.

Coun Patel went on: “We intend to deliver a sustainable new community covering Carrington, Partington and Sale West with high levels of internal walking and cycling provision as well as internal local community facilities, including a primary school and good public transport connections, including into the wider GM network.

“While we acknowledge PfE is not yet adopted, following its positive examination in public, it’s important we proactively embark on masterplanning work ahead of its potential adoption.

Coun Patel said that a ‘formula’ had been developed to secure contributions – known as Section 106 agreements – from developers to help fund the development and further funding could come from elements of the Community Infrastructure Levy and central Government via the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

“Broadly within New Carrington we want to bring forward accessible streets which prioritise active travel, a network of safe cycling and walking routes using existing public rights of way, a potential use of the disused railway lines, connections between neighbourhoods by overcoming barriers such as the Red Brook watercourse and the disused railway line between Irlam and Timperley, a sustainable transport corridor running east to west along the disused railway line, to Irlam Timperley and Altrincham, bus service improvement linking in with the GM Bee Network and necessary improvements to the existing highway network.”

Meanwhile, ‘newly-identified containment’ PFAS [a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water] has been identified on the site, said Coun Patel.

She added: “There is no single ready-made remediation approach available. We are already undertaking work with the Environment Agency and landowner Wain Homes to identify a remediation strategy.”