Authority vows to ‘invest in our district centres to support local economies’
How Garratt Way might look as Gorton’s planned new centre(Image: Manchester council)
A Manchester suburb’s centre will be moved with a ‘new town square’ under £60m council regeneration plans.
Redevelopment is kick-starting in Gorton as town hall bosses are promising ‘to make every neighbourhood somewhere local residents are proud to call home’ with a revamped market, ‘new town square’ and ‘hundreds of homes’.
It has now emerged Manchester council is going to move Gorton’s official centre away from Hyde Road to Garratt Way, behind the giant Tesco superstore.
It’s a move backed by locals, Coun Gavin White told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Gorton has been a real focus area for our city-wide high streets programme, in which we have made a clear commitment to investing in our district centres to support local economies, create jobs, build new homes – including significant affordable housing – and provide local spaces that our residents can be truly proud of.
“People are at the very heart of our approach, which is why following public consultation in 2023, we agreed with local people to create a ‘new heart’ for Gorton centred around Garratt Way – moving away from the traditional high street on Hyde Road, which is a very busy, arterial route for cars and HGVs travelling into the city centre.
“Garratt Way offers a quieter alternative, while still on a bus route, that offers more opportunities for people-centric spaces – including the new town square, Gorton Hub and the market hall – that provides opportunities for local people to spend time and enjoy their neighbourhood.
“This is just the start for Gorton and this initial investment will soon be complemented by hundreds of new affordable homes, while major investment to the popular market hall is already underway.”
Specifically, the council has signed a deal with housing developer Clarion to build at least 400 homes across 17 spots near the suburb’s existing Hyde Road heartland.
The new public square that opened in Spring 2025 on the Gorton Tesco car park site(Image: Manchester council)
The first two housing projects will be a six-storey block with 70 affordable apartments, where the library once stood, and 35 supported accommodation flats for young people leaving the care system on a disused Chapman Street basketball court.
After opening the Gorton Hub in 2022 and converting a portion of Tesco car park into a public square last Spring, the council will spend £1.1m upgrading Gorton Market Hall. Its western side will be opened up for a new outdoor seating area to complement ‘a new food and drink cluster with common seating, as well as a beauty zone’.
