Transport bosses in Greater Manchester are considering creating a new tram stop north of Victoria Station to serve a major new development of thousands of homes.
The Sandhills stop in Collyhurst is at the centre of plans for 15,000 new homes set to be built over the next two decades as part of the Victoria North project. The stop would be on the Bury, Rochdale and Oldham Metrolink lines.
As , the Victoria North scheme could see as many as 35,000 people living in developments stretching from Angel Meadow, just north of the city centre, to Collyhurst.
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Developer the Far East Consortium (FEC) has already started work on the £4bn scheme which also includes a new ‘city river park’.
Project director Tom Fenton said the company was working to prove the economic benefits of the new tram stop before calculating the costs involved. However the stop would only open after residents started moving in.
He said: “It is a tricky one. We would love to have a stop ready, but we do not want something that won’t be used.”
In January 2021, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) committed to completing a business case for the Sandhills Metrolink stop by 2026.
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It is one of three potential tram stops prioritised in Greater Manchester’s five-year delivery plan, alongside Cop Road in Oldham and Elton Reservoir in Bury. The report says a Sandhills stop would serve people already living in Collyhurst and New Cross - and would mean more homes could be built at Victoria North.
New homes in Collyhurst would each have a parking space with electric vehicle chargers, while city centre flats would have some 10% parking provision.
Manchester council is also looking at new bus routes which could serve commuters in the area, though the developer says it is also keen to promote cycling and walking.
Hilary Brett-Parr, the project director for the Red Bank neighbourhood near the city centre, said there could also be car clubs available in hubs around the development.
She said: “A lot of people in the city centre want to live more sustainably.”
A TfGM spokesperson said: “In line with the aims set out in Greater Manchester’s Five Year Travel Delivery Plan 2021-2026, we are working with FEC and Homes England on a Strategic Outline Business Case for a Transport Hub at Sandhills to serve the Victoria North development.
“This could potentially comprise a new Metrolink stop serving both the Bury and Oldham and Rochdale lines and sustainable travel facilities such as bus and active travel improvements.
“TfGM and partners are still in the early stages of development with details of the scheme to be determined in due course, subject to business case and funding.”