New year welcomes new residents at Middlewood Locks

Middlewood Locks is a £1bn regeneration project connecting Salford with Manchester City Centre where a cool new urban neighbourhood is evolving. The sustainable development plan is transforming a disused 25-acre site to ultimately provide 2,215 new homes with 900,000 sq ft of commercial space for offices, a hotel, shops, restaurants, multistorey car park and gym.

It is already home to over 2,300 residents in 1,117 apartments, supported by amenity, and engaging public realm. A Co-op convenience store and 92 Degrees Coffee Shop support the growing community within an established oasis of green spaces and engaging public realm along the canal.

‘Railings’ is the latest phase to complete with 189 new homes including seven waterside townhouses, six mews houses for family living, alongside a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Most of the homes have private balcony, terrace or garden spaces and a generous communal podium garden is available for the benefit of all residents.

Miruna Bejenaru, a first-time buyer at Middlewood Locks, said,

“As someone who moved to the UK from Romania, I’ve lived in several places, from studying at Lancaster University to working in London. During the pandemic, I moved back north to be closer to friends, renting for four years while waiting for the right time to buy my first home.

“The moment I stepped into my flat at Middlewood Locks, I knew it was home. Everything about the area, from the beautiful surroundings to the friendly community, just felt right. I was nervous about buying my first property, especially after hearing so many daunting stories, but the process turned out to be smoother than I ever imagined.

“The team at Middlewood Locks was incredible – supportive, professional, and reassuring at every step. They truly went above and beyond to make the experience enjoyable.

“I couldn’t be happier with my decision – the location is perfect, close to the city centre, gyms, shops, and everything I need. The layout of the apartment feels perfect for me, and it’s a place I’m proud to call home.”

Nicola Wallis, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Scarborough Group International which is developing Middlewood Locks, said,

“It is very exciting that the first homeowners at Railings are moving into their new homes for the start of 2025. A number of these are existing residents of Middlewood Locks who are either stepping up into their second home in the neighbourhood or residents who have been renting here and are now putting down more permanent roots by buying their first home at Middlewood Locks.”

“Railings has been particularly successful in supporting next generation living at Middlewood Locks by allowing existing occupiers to ‘step-up’ into their next home, BTR occupiers to get a foot on the property ladder, and families to move into homes with gardens and dedicated play areas within the podium gardens. This supports the evolution of the demographic and helps residents with their housing needs whilst enabling them to stay in the neighbourhood. All town houses have sold off plan with strong sales continuing for the apartments and mews houses.”

Terry Errington, Head of Structured Real Estate Finance at Homes England, said,

“We are very pleased to see residents moving into Railings which represents our second allocation of funding at Middlewood Locks from the Government’s Levelling Up Home Building Fund. This project is an exemplar of how sustainable communities are created, and its variety of mixed tenure homes really supports residents at any stage in their lives. Congratulations to SGI and its partners in committing to this long term investment with continued best practice.”

Scarborough Group International are now making plans to move forward with the next phases of residential homes which will be located on land overlooking the Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal close to Manchester City Centre forming part of the wider master plan for Middlewood Locks.