The huge university plans around popular park that could be 'transformative' for Salford

The University of Salford is aiming to transform its city campus with a new student village based around Peel Park.

An improved students' union building, sports centre, and accommodation offer are part of its aspirations for the future, as well as redesigning the campus to open it up to the public.

The aim of the project is to merge the greenery of Peel Park and the campus spaces, improve facilities for staff and students, and make the university grounds more accessible for local residents.

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It includes removing surface level parking from the heart of the campus and Peel Park areas, apart from disabled spaces, with the aim of creating better access through active travel and public transport from Salford Crescent train station and the Bee Network.

The university is already part of the changes to Greater Manchester's transport network, with the V1 night bus trial stopping at the campus, and plans in the pipeline to build a third platform at Salford Crescent station.

Around 30,000 students currently study at Salford University, which has a growing reputation having climbed 19-places in the latest Times university league table. Mark Wantling, the Salford University's chief infrastructure officer and a Salfordian himself, said work taking place around the campus could be "transformative" for the city.

"The university has to contribute to the whole economy, that starts at home," the 40-year-old said.

"The majority of our students come from quite a low socio-economic background, a lot of them from the local area. But this is the University of Salford, it should be of Salford and for Salford, and we think that driving greater integration into the local community creates more opportunities for students and the community, and should drive up the quality of the space."

Alongside the student village plans, a number of major projects are taking place around the Salford University campus. A flagship Greater Manchester Institute of Technology building is under construction and is due to be finished by December 2025, offering technical education and training for residents in Salford and beyond.

Work has started on Salford Rise - an 11-metre wide and 220-metre long bridge across Frederick Road described as a 'safe haven' for pedestrians and cyclists navigating the city, which is linked to plans with Salford City Council to transform the Salford Crescent area.

The Crescent masterplan includes creating a new innovation zone, which will create more than 900 new homes and bring together researchers, and businesses in Salford around the university.

Construction of a new £51m Health Building on the campus is set to begin later this month, creating a new home for the university's healthcare courses and providing public services such as mother and child health sessions, weight management clinics and wellbeing forums.

But a key part of the changes taking place on the campus also include creating more social spaces, such as the Old Fire Station which has been redeveloped into a café, bar and bakery based just off the A6.

Creating these kinds of places are a major part of the university's efforts to improve the student experience and attract more people to the campus, Mr Wantling said.

He added: "Traditionally, universities build lots of teaching spaces and research spaces, but students increasingly want social spaces. A big part of university is the friendships you make, and that works really well for our local community, not just students.

"Those social spaces are just as important to draw the local community in, whether it's the makers market on a Thursday that is there for students and the local community, high quality coffee shops such as the Old Fire Station which we turned into a bakery and small brewery.

"It's great for our students but it also serves a dual purpose for the community, so these social spaces are just as important as teaching spaces."

'If it looks better, people will want to come here'

Lily Mangan, a journalism and PR student at Salford University, said the campus is currently a "bit of a mish mash" of old and new at the moment, but that the improvements are already making a big difference. The 21-year-old from Rochdale thinks that plans for a new student village and the other projects taking place will help attract more people to Salford.

"The facilities around the campus are unbelievable, better than a lot of other universities out there, but people don't always realise that, probably because some of the buildings do look a bit outdated," she said.

"The environment you are in does have a big impact on your opinion towards things. If it looks better people will want to come here.

"The way it looks is really important, because it means people want to spend their time there and use the facilities and it will give the university a better reputation.

"They have redone the café areas which has been a big improvement, they have made people more cheaper options available and everyone has said how much better it is. Before that, people would go to walk to other places off campus."

In recent years, the Salford University campus has already seen big changes taking place, after the opening of the £55m New Adelphi building in 2016, which has five floors of facilities for creative and performing arts students, and a 350-seat theatre and exhibition gallery which are both open to the public.

This is as well as a £65m science, engineering and environment building which opened in 2022, and a £16m North of England Robotics Innovation Centre which opened the same year.

There was also excitement about Energy House 2.0 which opened in 2022 and is the 'largest research facility of its type', with two environmental chambers each able to accommodate two detached houses and under controlled conditions recreate a variety of weather conditions with temperatures ranging between -20C to +40C and simulated wind, rain, snow and solar radiation.

But in a climate where some universities are struggling financially, Salford appears an exception in the amount of work and investment taking place.

The reason for this, Mr Wantling said, is careful financial management, creating conditions where it is now the right time to spend money on these improvements which he believes will benefit everyone in the city.

He added: "If we get it right, [the changes] should be transformative. As a university, we've been successful in the last few years in particular, now's the time for us to invest and continue that onward success.

"Our success should lead to success for the local community and city council, it should transform lives, that's what we're here to do as a university, not just do research in isolation."