English Cities Fund wins £800m Salford Crescent deal

English Cities Fund has clinched a deal with Salford City Council and the University of Salford to be the private sector partner to deliver the £800m Salford Crescent masterplan. ECF, a partnership between Muse Developments, L&G and Homes England, beat off competition from rival bidders Capital & Centric/Bruntwood, Peel/Urban Splash, and Robertson. The masterplan, which has been designed by 5plus Architects, was first unveiled in March 2018 and will see 2,500 homes, 1.6m sq ft of commercial space, 300,000 sq ft of student accommodation and 1.1m sq ft of educational space to be delivered across three zones of the 240-acre site. The site, which sits between Manchester’s central business district and Salford’s MediaCityUK, will includes 62 acres of parkland and 2m sq ft of public realm space. The council and university launched a hunt for a developer partner in May last year. Speaking at the time, University of Salford vice-chancellor Helen Marshall said Salford Crescent “is a project that will have a lasting, transformative effect on Salford and the wider Greater Manchester city region”. Salford City Council, the University of Salford, CBRE and ECF were approached for comment. To send feedback, e-mail lucy.alderson@egi.co.uk or tweet @LucyAJourno or @estatesgazette