View from East Ordsall Lane in Salford

“captures some of the major change that has taken place, both on the skyline but also on the ground”

A great shot this time from East Ordsall Lane in Salford, looking east towards Trinity Way and Manchester city centre, which highlights the remarkable scale of regeneration and development across the boundary between Manchester City Council and Salford City Council.

The top photo was kindly provided by Steve Welsh and dates back to 2004. At this point the view looks towards what was the original Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal which was filled in in 1969, and the land was subsequently used for light industrial and scrap yards.

There are some notable landmarks in this photo, including City Tower Manchester, Manchester City Council Town Hall, the Granada TV office block, Granada Studios, and also a crane which was commencing the construction of the Beetham Tower.

The bottom photo was taken June 2026 and captures some of the major change that has taken place, both on the skyline but also on the ground.

In the foreground is the Middlewood Basin No.1, which was restored between 2006 and 2008 by VolkerStevin on behalf of British Waterways.

In the background, and from left to right:

🔹Novella, designed by Hawkins\Brown for ENGLISH CITIES FUND and comprising 211 apartments.

🔹Cenza, also designed by Hawkins\Brown on behalf of ENGLISH CITIES FUND with 196 apartments.

🔹The two Union towers in Manchester, designed by Denton Corker Marshall and developed by Vita Group within Manchester’s St John’s/Enterprise City district. The taller tower stands at 36 storeys, while the second rises to 32 storeys; in total the scheme delivers 770 apartments and 1,676 beds across a mix of studios and shared apartments.

🔹Aviva Studios - home of Factory International and designed by OMA.

🔹Beetham Tower and The Manchester Deansgate Hotel, by IHG, designed by SimpsonHaugh.

🔹The Ordsall Chord: the strategic railway link which opened in December 2017 and connects the city’s main stations at Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Victoria via a new 300 metre twin-track route.

🔹The 45 storey Square Gardens, delivered by Downing and designed by SimpsonHaugh.