Inside the ‘dated and empty’ Town Centre that has ‘nothing to offer’

The Lancastrian Hall, Swinton.

While other towns in Salford are subject to multi-million pound developments, Swinton is being left behind despite promises of regeneration. 

The demise of local town centres has been a big issue since the days of the COVID-19 pandemic - and still today questions are being raised about what is being done to regenerate them. 

Recently, Salford Council have been making serious commitments to developing the city and bought Eccles Town Centre back in December 2022 for £4.15 million to begin a major transformation project in the town centre. Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “It’s time to accept some hard truths, that the centre as it stands now isn’t working for the town or the community. So, it’s now time to show Eccles the love and support it badly needs.”

Similarly, transformation is starting to take place in Walkden - with a £10 million building works to demolish a lot of the old shopping centre ready for regeneration. There are currently plans in place to create a high street style boulevard with timber street furniture and low level planters. There will also be a pedestrianised link connecting a newly formed main entrance of the shopping centre.

With all of these exciting developments taking place, it's leaving the people of Swinton (home to the town hall and Salford City Council) wondering why there isn’t much action within the town centre and why they are being left behind. 

Recent years have seen the closure of both small businesses and bigger retail across Swinton, including those based at Swinton Square which is currently owned by Savills Plc. As of 2024, it was approximately £20,000 PAX (per annum exclusive) to rent one of the smaller outlets on Swinton Square. PAX means that the cost shown doesn't include any additional expenses such as business rates, services charges or VAT. This has the potential to make it difficult for smaller businesses to open up and keep up with maintenance costs and for bigger retailers who will need a bigger space - cost much more to open up on the Square. 

The Lancastrian Hall is being branded an ‘eyesore’ while the shopping precinct is being called ‘tired and outdated’. What was once a thriving town, no longer thrives and local people are wanting a better place to live and visit. 

Local people who live in Swinton have been having their say on the area via an online survey posted in November. 88 people submitted the form and cast their opinion on Swinton and what could be done to improve the area. The biggest issue that people mentioned was the state of the shopping precinct - Swinton Square. Most said that there were too many closed down shops and that the overall cleanliness wasn’t the best. 

The results taken from the online survey.

32 people mentioned that they would want to see more independent shops while another 18 mentioned that they would like to see more nice places to eat that weren't part of a big chain. The other main areas were demolition of The Lancastrian Hall, a newly developed shopping precinct with the opportunity for independent businesses to house there as well as more greenspaces and community hubs. 

Points have also been raised about lowering the business rates to encourage more to invest in the town as well as council incentives for those thinking about opening up here. 

It is clear that people in Swinton want to have the community feel of a local town that embraces local business and supports each other. After this was taken away over the past few years, locals have been seeking this elsewhere in local towns such as Monton, Prestwich and Walkden as well as some other boroughs of Greater Manchester such as Trafford. 

Plans are in the works for the re-development of Swinton - this is known as the Swinton Vision. According to the Salford City Council website, “The Swinton Vision aims to capture the distinctiveness and characteristics of Swinton, celebrating what makes it special and highlighting the opportunities to develop and promote the town going forward.” The project aims to bring Swinton back to where it should be. 

You can find more information on The Swinton Vision here.