Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[jrb]

Slightly off topic.

Originally posted by Disco Steve on the 2nd of December 2012 on SSC-MCR.

Well worth a skim through if you haven’t seen it before. It is 332 pages long.

Disco Steve.

And a 332 page doc from the Nation Archives relating to the bid - and what an interesting collection of documents it is - pg108 contains the announcement that the Area & Velodrome and the purchase of the Eastlands site had been funded

Scribd

www.scribd.com

 

[jrb]

Keep on hoping, mate. :-) Like we all are still.

Petrusha.

Your 89th post.

The latest rumour suggests that expansion of the stadium may not be imminent. Obviously, it will happen sooner or later, but ADUG may not be ready to commit to it in the very near future.

Meanwhile, there are suggestions that, before the end of this week, we could have some media coverage of the Etihad Campus developments and what City are prepared to say publicly about them at this stage. I'm not sure whether this will involve anything about the collar site, but I live in hope.

Collar Site | Etihad Campus

www.skyscrapercity.com

 

[petrusha]

Keep on hoping, mate. :-) Like we all are still.

Petrusha.

Your 89th post.

The latest rumour suggests that expansion of the stadium may not be imminent. Obviously, it will happen sooner or later, but ADUG may not be ready to commit to it in the very near future.

Meanwhile, there are suggestions that, before the end of this week, we could have some media coverage of the Etihad Campus developments and what City are prepared to say publicly about them at this stage. I'm not sure whether this will involve anything about the collar site, but I live in hope.

Back in September 2012. Blimey.

I think it turned out to be information about the training ground. When I said I didn't know if it would be about the Collar Site but "obviously it will happen sooner or later", I never thought we'd be waiting a decade later, but maybe soon our faith will be repaid.

 

[west didsblue]

I remember raising this on Skyscrapercity a decade ago. The consensus from people on there who knew what they're talking about was that taking trains from the freight line that runs by the Etihad and into Piccadilly or vice-versa isn't viable. Trains taking this route would have to cut across too many paths already going into and coming out of Piccadilly.

Originally, ahead of the there was a plan to run trains from Marple and Glossop to Victoria, bringing them through Ashburys and using that line, with a new station being built to the west of the stadium. The 2000 map for the originally planned Metrolink expansion showed the Metrolink stop at Sportcity (which eventually became the Etihad Campus stop) having a rail interchange. But the government of the day pulled its funding for the Metrolink expansion, meaning it was delayed years, while nothing ever came of the plan with the trains.

The plan was superseded by the idea of running tram-trains along the Marple line, through Ashburys, then running along the streets through Beswick, with a new station less than half-a-mile from the Etihad. It would then join the line from Ashton going into the undercroft of Piccadilly station and emerging on the other side to run through the city centre. This was first mooted years ago, though, and seems no nearer to fruition. What the prospects are, I've no idea.

That possibly leaves Hatfield or Glossop trains as one possibility to run along the stadium loop. However, I believe those lines are electrified and the loop isn't. I was told on SSC that, unless they're prepared to spend money on addressing this issue, the only service that might be redirected in the future to run this way into Victoria rather than Piccadilly would probably be the Hope Valley trains via New Mills to Sheffield.

I really do think they need to do something and, as I say, have been asking these questions since at least 2012. Unfortunately, nothing has happened, and unless CFG are prepared to put cash in as part of a section 106 agreement, I don't feel optimistic about the future. I'd suggest that in the current climate, there's certainly no hope of much central government funding to facilitate a Metrolink expansion.

Yes, I seem to remember someone mentioning a long time ago that having regular trains that would need to cross all the tracks near Piccadilly so that they could get to platforms 13/14 was a non-starter. Also current plans for HS2 have it emerging from underground at about the point where the old viaduct would need to connect to the main line which would add further complications. A possible way round it would be to have a diagonal rail bridge over the main line so that it merges on the west side but I suspect the engineering challenges and cost would be prohibitive as it would need to start quite a way back to keep the gradient shallow enough and the benefits wouldn't be sufficient to justify it.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

More than that, mate. @Gone for a Burton also posted this on Saturday, which I missed until looking for something else earlier this afternoon:



So you can add a casino to the possible list. Then there's the information from @kippax81 about a Kickair venue on the site where the Mercedes garage currently is, noting:



Also, remember that the Eastlands Regeneration Framework was amended in 2019. That for the first time identified the possibility of a large arena on the Campus and notes as follows with regard to the Collar Site:



So you can add a multiplex cinema to the mix as a potential idea for the Collar Site, as well. Given what else will be built, I don't think it will be your bog-standard cinema complex of which there must be hundreds up and down the country. It would be something cutting edge and unique in this country (or the north of England, at least) to draw people in from all over.

We've waited a long time, jrb, mate - I think we first started discussing this stuff in forerunner threads back in 2009. But finally people are coming along with details and it looks as though exciting things could be about to happen.



This would, of course, be marvellous. Let's wait and see, but finally your information is giving us something to get quite excited about on this thread. Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll end up being worth the wait.

When you see what they're doing in Abu Dhabi,Dubai and now KSA, you see the art of the possible....its absolutely incredible.

There's always a plan behind the plan behind the plan behind the plan.

Projects have to be leading edge, ground breaking and future proofed.

Manchester is now as much the Sheikhs spiritual home as Al Ain or Qasar Al Sharab !!

 

[LEXSTARproject]

I remember raising this on Skyscrapercity a decade ago. The consensus from people on there who knew what they're talking about was that taking trains from the freight line that runs by the Etihad and into Piccadilly or vice-versa isn't viable. Trains taking this route would have to cut across too many paths already going into and coming out of Piccadilly.

Originally, ahead of the there was a plan to run trains from Marple and Glossop to Victoria, bringing them through Ashburys and using that line, with a new station being built to the west of the stadium. The 2000 map for the originally planned Metrolink expansion showed the Metrolink stop at Sportcity (which eventually became the Etihad Campus stop) having a rail interchange. But the government of the day pulled its funding for the Metrolink expansion, meaning it was delayed years, while nothing ever came of the plan with the trains.

The plan was superseded by the idea of running tram-trains along the Marple line, through Ashburys, then running along the streets through Beswick, with a new station less than half-a-mile from the Etihad. It would then join the line from Ashton going into the undercroft of Piccadilly station and emerging on the other side to run through the city centre. This was first mooted years ago, though, and seems no nearer to fruition. What the prospects are, I've no idea.

That possibly leaves Hatfield or Glossop trains as one possibility to run along the stadium loop. However, I believe those lines are electrified and the loop isn't. I was told on SSC that, unless they're prepared to spend money on addressing this issue, the only service that might be redirected in the future to run this way into Victoria rather than Piccadilly would probably be the Hope Valley trains via New Mills to Sheffield.

I really do think they need to do something and, as I say, have been asking these questions since at least 2012. Unfortunately, nothing has happened, and unless CFG are prepared to put cash in as part of a section 106 agreement, I don't feel optimistic about the future. I'd suggest that in the current climate, there's certainly no hope of much central government funding to facilitate a Metrolink expansion.

Write to the local MP, MSP and councillors in the area as a lot of people have put on here that traffic is chaos already, I am sure the CFC want the area to be a success so helping fund the project is a no brainer

 

[LEXSTARproject]

When you see what they're doing in Abu Dhabi,Dubai and now KSA, you see the art of the possible....its absolutely incredible.

There's always a plan behind the plan behind the plan behind the plan.

Projects have to be leading edge, ground breaking and future proofed.

Manchester is now as much the Sheikhs spiritual home as Al Ain or Qasar Al Sharab !!

@petrusha and @Gone for a Burton all this sounds amazing and the guy from CITY-TV talked about it on their chairman interview at one point it would be good to see some drawings or a masterplan

 

[LEXSTARproject]

Blast from the past

This is worth a read also

Eastlands regeneration framework - 2019 update | Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council download - Eastlands regeneration framework - 2019 update | Planning and regeneration

www.manchester.gov.uk

 

[Gone for a Burton]

@petrusha and @Gone for a Burton all this sounds amazing and the guy from CITY-TV talked about it on their chairman interview at one point it would be good to see some drawings or a masterplan

City keep matters confidential until all elements of a particular phase or signing are complete and secure.....it will all happen in sequence, its a question of when.

The economic outlook is not good !!

 

[LEXSTARproject]

Statues of the future !!!!!!!