Trafford Council held the first of four open days on Wednesday to allow local residents to assess the proposed Wharfside Strategic Masterplan, which will have Manchester United‘s new stadium as its centrepiece.
There are going to be four open days before the consultation period closes on 22 September and for the 90 minutes I attended, there were a steady stream of interested observers, keen to assess what the multi-billion pound development will look like and where the stadium will sit within it.
Club, project and council officials were also present, with all noting a general sense of positivity around the plans, which were given the green light by the council last week.
Subtle tweaks can be made, and United officials are keen to stress nothing should be read into the fact the distinctive circus tent aspect of the previous stadium design is not evident in this one.
Not everyone was wholly upbeat. One long-standing local United fan – 73-year-old Phil Sharp, who was keen to tell me he saw Duncan Edwards play – is unhappy the club have moved from the initial site, close to the current Old Trafford, to another location 350 yards away.
“There was more attachment to the current stadium at the previous site,” he said. “It was within the current footprint. It now feels more detached. Also, I quite liked the canopy.
“I am not sure why the club didn’t try to buy the Freightliner land before they first announced where they were hoping to build.”
Sharp might need some winning round but there will be a chance for the club to outline their own vision later this year as United are committed to running fan engagement around stadium design within that timescale.
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