Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site

[Sheikh Rattle n Roll]

Out of interest, how often is the athletics stadium used these days and how popular is the tennis centre?........are they now white elephants? are they likely to remain as development around the area continues?

 

[GXCity]

Out of interest, how often is the athletics stadium used these days and how popular is the tennis centre?........are they now white elephants? are they likely to remain as development around the area continues?

From every plan I have seen they are very much part of the future Campus. Not sure on the usage etc

 

[petrusha]

Out of interest, how often is the athletics stadium used these days and how popular is the tennis centre?........are they now white elephants? are they likely to remain as development around the area continues?

From every plan I have seen they are very much part of the future Campus. Not sure on the usage etc

I think the tennis centre posts decent spectator numbers. The athletics stadium has seen City reserves move out already and the ladies team will follow. but it's used by a number of athletics clubs for training - pretty well every day - and hosts regional athletics events as well. Moreover, it hosts quite a lot of schools football finals and similar as well: many more than the new MCFC mini-stadium will take. So it has pleion fnty of use, albeit not much that requires seating accommodation for 6K spectators.

However, it may become a more important athletics venue given that the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield is being demolished at the time of writing. There's no other decent athletics facility between Birmingham and Gateshead. Moreover, in any case it was funded by Sport England out of the surplus from the Commonwealth Games and is the athletics legacy from those Games, so we can't simply demolish it. If we decided to use the land where the athletics arena stands for another purpose instead, we'd have to provide a replacement stadium.

As I understand (but you will know better than I do), the plans showing the developed collar site show the athletics stadium and other facilities still in place. However, the long-term idea as suggested a couple of years back in the Eastlands Regeneration Framework is that the land to the west of the stadium offers a compelling opportunity for eventual commercial development, in which case the athletics stadium could be relocated to the Beswick Hub on Grey Mare Lane.

The Eastlands Regeneration Framework can be downloaded here: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/4502/eastlands_regeneration_framework As far as I understand, the aspirations set out in this document continue to hold good and it contains the following relevant passages on pages 27-28 (my emphasis):

North and West Of the Stadium Area

Detailed proposals must protect the long-term expansion
potential of the City of Manchester Stadium. The area to
the west and north of the stadium presents commercial
development opportunities, either for the Club itself or for
third parties.
The canal and Metrolink line and station provide a distinct
and attractive design and development opportunity,
perhaps of smaller scale and texture than exists to the
south and east at the `collar site’ or the potential sites to
the west of the stadium.
To the north of the canal are large parking areas serving
the sports facilities. Their redevelopment would require
some degree of parking replacement, potentially in multistorey
car parks.
More significantly, development of the area is heavily
influenced by the presence of gas holders and gas supply
lines to the north and west of the parking lots. In the
longer-term these facilities may be relocated, providing
an excellent, highly visible opportunity for a range of
commercial development activity.
The potential for substantial commercial development
opportunities on sites currently occupied by low-density
sports buildings such as the athletics arena and the
squash and tennis centres should be explored. Provided
commercially deliverable plans emerge that are capable
of supporting the relocation of these facilities, the
opportunity should also be explored to enhance the scale
of the sports and community hub centered on Grey Mare
Lane area of Beswick. The relocation of sports facilities
would provide large flexible sites on the western side
of the stadium for a wide range of high activity uses at
Eastlands, while ensuring the re-located facilities benefit
from improved accessibility and synergies with other
community uses in the immediate vicinity.

The Beswick Sports & Community Hub

The investment in football facilities on the east side of
Alan Turing Way, between Ashton Old and New Roads, and
the investment already made in the new East Manchester
Academy and Beswick Library on Grey Mare Lane,
represent transformative investments in the heart of East
Manchester. Significant public land ownership exists in
this area, presenting the opportunity to strengthen and
build upon the existing community cluster centred on the
academy. Many of the sports facilities currently located
to the west and north of the City of Manchester Stadium
should, over the longer-term, be relocated with a focus
on maximising community access to these facilities and
interaction between them. The cluster would be centred
in Beswick on Grey Mare Lane, extending south towards
Ashton Old Road and to sites to the east of Alan Turing
Way.

In other words, they're going nowhere at the moment, while the focus is on the expansion of the north and south ends of the stadium and the development of the collar site. However, in the longer term, once the collar site has been developed, attention is likely to turn to these areas. Facilities like the athletics stadium and tennis venue can't be abolished and nor would there be a wish to get rid of them: the aim is for East Manc to be a centre of sporting excellence and ditching facilities certainly isn't in line with that.

Obviously we're looking a long way into the future before anything like this happens. However, I think that we can expect eventually to see both the East and Colin Bell Stands expanded and to see a major commercial development on the land to the west of the stadium. The collar site isn't going to be the end of it.

 

[Carver]

Registered for a season ticket today, can't take missing out on the action anymore. Had to consider work commitments and travelling from cleethorpes every week but fuck it. The future is blue, it's crazy to think this ride has only just started for us.


Can anyone tell me what the collar site is?

It's the land next to the stadium bounded by Alan Turing Way and the canal to the North. the purple areas are areas marked for development (including the athletics track) and the blue area is the North car park. Others on here may be able to tell you plans for these areas

(Map as in previous posts)

Where's that map from? One of the MCC documents? Any link to it by chance?

From here mate, page 24. I searched for 'Manchester city collar' and the document has a description of what is referred to the collar site in it. I put the arrow on.:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.east-manchester.com/MediaLibrary/Files/Documents%20and%20reports/Eastlands%20Regeneration%20Framework%20-%20Aug.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.east-manchester.com/MediaLib ... %20Aug.pdf</a>

 

[Centurions]

Out of interest, how often is the athletics stadium used these days and how popular is the tennis centre?........are they now white elephants? are they likely to remain as development around the area continues?

From every plan I have seen they are very much part of the future Campus. Not sure on the usage etc

Pretty sure it would be for Athletics and Tennis...







;)

 

[Carver]

Out of interest, how often is the athletics stadium used these days and how popular is the tennis centre?........are they now white elephants? are they likely to remain as development around the area continues?

From every plan I have seen they are very much part of the future Campus. Not sure on the usage etc

Pretty sure it would be for Athletics and Tennis...

;)

The arena is also home to all Manchester City FC ladies, various local athletics clubs and the national HQ for UK and England Athletics - offering an established athletics programme. So, whether you want to run, hop, skip or jump - everyone is welcome at the arena, from complete novices to elite athletes.

Clubs & Associations
Sale Harriers / Moston & District Harriers / Manchester Harriers & AC / Manchester Kestrels / Belle Vue Racers / Blackley North Manchester AC / Salford Harriers / Manchester YMCA Harriers / Manchester Triathlon / Manchester Met / Manchester Frontrunners / MCFC Ladies

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.manchestersportandleisure.org/sites/default/files/MRA%20Centre%20Information.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.manchestersportandleisure.or ... mation.pdf</a>

 

[petrusha]

From every plan I have seen they are very much part of the future Campus. Not sure on the usage etc

Pretty sure it would be for Athletics and Tennis...

;)

The arena is ... the national HQ for UK and England Athletics

Does this continue to be true even after 2012? I thought they'd relocated to the Olympic Park in London, but am pleased if they haven't.

 

[Fat Chance]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.east-manchester.com/MediaLibrary/Files/Documents%20and%20reports/Eastlands%20Regeneration%20Framework%20-%20Aug.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.east-manchester.com/MediaLib ... %20Aug.pdf</a>[/quote]


Intresting that the linked article mentions the canal being opened up akin other areas of M/c (castlefield), anyone know where it's refering to in that article, it's not clear if the bridge over the canal on clayton lane is the intended site or the humpback bridge further-up behind the old greggs bakery site

 

[jrb]

Best set yet.

Will post the pictures tomorrow hopefully.

Coming along nicely.

You won't disappointed.

The future for this club is looking great.

 

[Chancy Termites]

Best set yet.

Will post the pictures tomorrow hopefully.

Coming along nicely.

You won't disappointed.

The future for this club is looking great.

Tease.