Plans to create a series of riverside walking and cycling routes connecting Salford Quays and the city centre and transform the 8km stretch of the River Irwell into a vibrant and accessible urban park have been approved by Salford City Council.
Following a comprehensive public consultation at the end of 2024, the renewed Irwell River Park (IPR) Connectivity and Movement Strategy has been developed, which builds on previous IPR regeneration and introduces a stronger focus on active travel, environmental sustainability and community engagement. This will now guide future development and investment to ensure that the current potential of the area can be maximised.
The approved strategy reflects ambitions to enhance connectivity, public realm, accessibility and identity along the IRP, making it a vibrant asset and a place for all that will deliver:
- A connected Irwell: Irwell River Park will offer an uninterrupted, attractive and safe place to walk and cycle near to the river and will be easily accessible from local neighbourhoods and by public transport.
- A resilient Irwell River Park: Irwell River Park will be resilient to climate change and a place that allows and encourages nature to thrive.
- Spaces and places: Public spaces and parks will enable people and nature to experience and enrich Irwell River Park in a positive and meaningful way.
- All are welcome: Irwell River Park will be a place that anyone can access and benefit from and it will aim to promote inclusivity.
- This is Irwell River Park: Irwell River Park will have a distinctive identity that reveals and celebrates the rich history, culture and significance of the river corridor.
- Irwell legacy: Irwell River Park should be embraced as a city asset, which is positively shaped and promoted by local people and key stakeholders.
While Irwell River Park is intended to be a single piece of connected landscape, the area will provide four distinctive character zones:
- The Meadows and Anaconda: Focused on enhancing the green and ecologically rich area by improving access, safety and natural beauty.
- Salford City: Focused on transforming the urban area by creating a continuous riverside pathway that seamlessly connects pedestrians and cyclists to key destinations.
- Ordsall Riverside: Focused on improving the narrow riverside paths by widening them for safer pedestrian and cyclist use, alongside better lighting to enhance safety and visibility.
- Salford Quays: Focused on creating a landmark destination and a place where people and nature exist more closely together.
Councillor Mike McCusker, Lead Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development at Salford City Council said: “The plans that have been approved for Irwell River Park reflects our vision to improve movement and connectivity in Salford through a series of walking and cycling routes, public spaces and nature-rich environments.
“As part of the city’s regeneration and the council’s broader goals of creating a greener, fairer, and healthier city, over the next decade we want to create a vibrant and sustainable place that people can enjoy. Our aspiration is that the area will become an essential part of daily life in Salford, where residents can live healthier lives, engage with nature and connect with their city’s rich history.”
