It’s even got to the stage where some locals are fearing the emergence of a ‘super city’ - such is the rapid development in the area. One of the latest grand plans for the area includes a floating hotel - yes, you read that right.
But it wasn’t always like this. Opened by Queen Victoria in 1894, Salford Docks – as they were then known – helped Manchester trailblaze its way into the Industrial Revolution, connecting the city’s industry to the rest of the world. Then, after the docks’ closure in the eighties and years of dereliction, it became one of the largest urban regeneration projects the UK has ever seen.
Now it is a hive of activity - with bars, restaurants, a shopping centre, a theatre, a museum, a watersports centre, residential buildings, a gig venue, a football stadium and the small matter of the BBC.
The transformation has been remarkable and we’ve delved back in our archives to take a look at the journey from the birth of the ship canal to MediaCity and beyond.
1. Circa 1895
Manchester Ship Canal. Credit: Priestley & Sons Egremont/Hulton Archive/Getty Images | Getty Images
2. Circa 1890
Construction of the Manchester ship canal. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images | Getty Images
3. 1948
Cars lined up at the quays waiting to be transported via ship down the Manchester Ship Canal. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images | Getty Images
4. 1939
Men work on a fire brigade ship in Salford. Credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images | Getty Images