Salford & Eccles MP, Rebecca Long Bailey has spoken out over plans to demolish part of Regent Road Retail Park and replace it with a new 'inner-city' neighbourhood upon the expiration of existing leases in 2027, asking local residents to contact her to share their views. Rebecca added that both Labour councillors and herself intended to object to the planning proposals which include a park as well as multiple blocks of new homes which campaigners have termed 'The Slums of the Future' after citing previous tower blocks which were torn down to make way for the current retail park. The expected application has been met with anger and claims of 'The Gentrification of Ordsall' and 'Eroding the Community'. Speaking via a number of updates posted to X (Formerly known as Twitter), Rebecca echoed the wording in a petition set up by campaigners against the intended application, which says: "Our community heavily relies on the services & jobs provided by Regent Retail Park, a local shopping centre for Ordsall and across Salford. The proposed development plan to convert it into apartment complexes threatens livelihoods and community spirit. "Regent Retail Park is not just a shopping centre; it's a lifeline for many in Ordsall. It provides essential goods, services, and employment opportunities that are scarce in our area. If replaced with apartments, these resources would be lost." Adding: "I and your local Labour councillors will be supporting residents in objecting to this planning application. "Please contact me on Rebecca.longbailey.mp@parliament.uk to share your view." The MP also posted a link to the Change.Org petition which was set up by local resident Nic Leonard and at time of writing has 445 signatures. Link: https://www.change.org/p/save-regent-retail-park-say-no-to-apartments The investment company behind the proposals 'Henley Investment Management' bought Regent Retail Park for £16million in 2020 and recently conducted a public consultation exercise at nearby Salford Lads Club. In reply to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Development manager for Henley, Hattie Charlier-Poole, said: “The project team were pleased to see the level of attendance at the event on Friday October 6 by members of the Ordsall community and welcomed the varied feedback from residents. It is important that we hear these comments now, so that we can take them on board to help inform our plans for the future neighbourhood. “We recognise there are concerns about the loss of retail, but as the site is a designated Neighbourhood Centre, we can assure all members of the community that shops, services, and amenities will be re-provided. "The current plans show the re-provision of 8,500 sq meters of retail space, over 15 units of differing sizes, and we are working closely with existing tenants, Salford city council officers, and a specialist consultant Distrkt, to develop a strategy for the retail provision that means it is curated to meet the needs of the existing community of Ordsall as well as any future residents. “The plans for Regent Park also would see an approximate £25million investment into the delivery of a 3.5-acre park at the heart of the site, as well as significant public realm improvements with new walkways, planting, seating areas, play space for kids and cycle routes. “We appreciate the comments that have been provided and will take into consideration the needs for shops and services, working with the council, to create a new community that Salford can be proud of.”
